World tennis number two Alcaraz sparks dating rumors with fellow star Raducanu at Wimbledon

Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu in a practice session during Wimbledon. Photo by Wimbledon

The rumors began last week when Alcaraz and Raducanu were seen practicing together and attending sideline events during Wimbledon. The two have also confirmed plans to play mixed doubles at an exhibition tournament ahead of the U.S. Open in August.

According to Raducanu, they first met in 2021 and have remained close friends ever since.

After both advanced through the first round at Wimbledon, they were seen practicing in matching sponsored T-shirts, fueling speculation that their friendship may have grown into something more, Daily Mail reported.

When asked about playing doubles with the British star, Alcaraz, ranked world number two after Jannik Sinner, responded: "I'm just gonna serve and I'm gonna pull myself away and I let her play. She will cover a lot of the court. She will be the boss! I will do whatever she wants me to do."

Raducanu was also seen in the stands supporting Alcaraz during his matches at the Queen's Club Championships last month. She has described his rise as a source of inspiration amid her own career struggles.

"I've known him for years. Wimbledon 2021 was the first time I started getting to know him. He was always playing the day before me, I would see him win and then I would have motivation to win and get myself into that position too."

Despite their close relationship, Raducanu denied any romantic involvement with Alcaraz.

"We're just good friends," she told reporters.

Currently ranked world number 40, Raducanu praised Alcaraz for remaining grounded despite his rise to fame.

"He's so nice, very happy, amazing values and just a really positive light to be around," she added, as cited by Marca.

Alcaraz recently defeated Jan-Lennard Struff to reach the Wimbledon fourth round, while Raducanu bowed out after a hard-fought loss to world number one Aryna Sabalenka.