Did Alcaraz’s father film Djokovic during practice at Wimbledon? Alcaraz says probably

July 12, 2023 GMT
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Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after beating Denmark's Holger Rune to win their men's singles match on day ten of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after beating Denmark's Holger Rune to win their men's singles match on day ten of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Someone apparently saw Carlos Alcaraz’s dad filming Novak Djokovic during practice at Wimbledon. So Alcaraz was asked if that did, indeed, happen — and he said he wouldn’t be surprised if it did.

That’s because Alcaraz’s father is a big fan of tennis. Spends all day at the All England Club, even, watching plenty of players other than the No. 1-ranked 20-year-old known as “Carlitos.”

Dad keeps an eye on matches. On practices, too. And so, sure, maybe he pulled out his phone and snapped some video of Djokovic, the son said.

“To be able to watch Djokovic in real life, yeah, probably it is true he’d film the sessions,” Alcaraz said.

The practice courts at Wimbledon are accessible to reporters and a limited number of fans, who often line up to watch the sport’s biggest names during their sessions and then record some footage as a keepsake.

Players practice on adjacent courts that have no walls or barriers between them, so they can keep tabs on each other, too.

If Alcaraz beats Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals on Friday, he might end up facing Djokovic in the final. Djokovic has won Wimbledon four times in a row and seven times overall. He plays Jannik Sinner in the other semifinal.

So could video captured by his father give Alcaraz an advantage?

“I don’t think so,” Alcaraz said. “I mean, I have a lot of videos from Djokovic on every platform.”

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