Diego Souto/Mutua Madrid Open
Carlos Alcaraz’s frightening power has long been a sight to behold on the ATP Tour. However, on Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open, he had to employ it against a very different opponent.
The Spaniard had a face-to-face meeting with Ilia Topuria, the UFC featherweight champion. The No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Alcaraz exchanged the clay courts of the Caja Magica for an octagon, and in doing so provided one of the most entertaining moments of the week so far in the Spanish capital.
The 20-year-old Alcaraz was given a masterclass by the Georgian-Spanish fighter Topuria. The pair went through a repertoire of moves from mixed martial arts. He learnt all about submissions and various locks from one of the fastest growing sports in Spain.
It was completely new ground for Alcaraz. The current Wimbledon champion enjoyed the experience, laughing as he grappled with Topuria, with whom he also enjoyed a private conversation.
Two of the most revered athletes in Spain exchanged knowledge on their respective disciplines, freely giving one another advice. Topuria immobilised Alcaraz to demonstrate the secrets of the body lock, one of the most iconic moves in UFC, where the fighter attacks their adversary with a choke. After escaping from the hold, Alcaraz assumed the attack and engaged in a friendly tussle with Topuria on the clay.
The day before the men’s main draw kicks off at the ATP Masters 1000 in the Caja Magica, Topuria also had a chance to meet Rafael Nadal in person. The 92-time tour-level champion was one of many people to post a message for Topuria on social media after he won his world title.
On 18 February, Topuria made history by winning the mixed martial arts featherweight belt, defeating the Australian Alexander Volkanovski in the Honda Center, Anaheim (California).
Inspired by Topuria’s exploits, Alcaraz will now try to call upon his fighting spirit as he returns to competition on the ATP Tour. The second seed will play his Madrid opener against either France’s Arthur Rinderknech or Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko.
Editor’s note: This story has been translated from ATPTour.com/es.
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