Carlos Alcaraz praised as ‘unicorn’ as Kim Clijsters warns of tennis ‘sharks’ – It give me chills thinking about it
Kim Clijsters is hopeful that tennis’ “sharks” will not extinguish Carlos Alcaraz’s joy following his return to the sport.
Many feared for the Spaniard when he skipped Cincinnati but confirmed he would compete at the US Open after more than four months out with a wrist injury.
The 23-year-old looked a bit rusty in the mixed doubles with Serena Williams but impressed as the singles tournament wore on at Flushing Meadows.
The seven-time major winner finally met his match in Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals, as the American came through a five-set thriller that finished at 3.30am.
Alcaraz was spotted throwing up into his towel during the match as his time away from the game appeared to catch up with him. And while many would have been despondent after his agonising loss to Shelton in a final set tiebreak, the world No 3 was all smiles.
Indeed, tennis journalist Blair Henley summed up what makes Alcaraz almost unique, describing him as tennis’ “unicorn”.
She said on Love All, “That picture of him walking out the Arthur Ashe tunnel after a heartbreaking loss, at 3.30am, and having a full blown smile on his face. We usually see people walking through that hallway with towels over their heads, or their head down to their chest.
“His chin was up, full smile, proceeds to have one of the most positive press huddles afterwards. It gives me chills thinking about it. What a gift he is to the sport of tennis and just the fact that is how he operates throughout the entire tournament.”
You have to respect this guy. 💔 pic.twitter.com/26C7DO8cky
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 9, 2026
Henley added, “Walking through the halls, his head is up, he is saying hello to everyone that walks by. That I cannot stress is exceedingly rare in tennis. Once you get to a certain stratosphere of fame… hood up, head down, insolated, people around you and he is just the opposite of that. A total unicorn.”
Former world No 1 Clijsters was in agreement with her co-host, while saying she hopes that Alcaraz’s positivity doesn’t fade with time.
The four-time Grand Slam winner said, “For him and his team especially, it’s going to be so important to protect that. Because you have the sharks on tour who try to take stuff from you.
“It’s going to be so important for him to keep that joy because it can go away at times. So to have that after not being on tour for a few months is great to see.”
It is not certain who these “sharks” are. Perhaps other parties that are looking to cash-in on Alcaraz. But with his team, it seems not much will go wrong for him.
