Her gran says he's not good enough for her, but here are the clues that British tennis star Emma Raducanu and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz are a perfect pairing

Daily Mail​

8 hours ago

As fairy-tale romances go, it certainly has all the components.
During one heady summer in New York, two teenage tennis stars – both supremely talented and beautiful – burst on to the world stage on the hard courts of the US Open.
Four years on, what better plot development could there be than a real-life romantic pairing between the ever-smiling Spanish charm of Carlos Alcaraz and the dazzling glamour of Emma Raducanu?
Certainly, the world of tennis has been abuzz with rumours about a Hollywood-style love story, ever since it was announced last week that World No 2 Alcaraz – on a high after beating the World No 1 Jannik Sinner in an epic French Open final earlier this month – would be playing mixed doubles with Raducanu, who recently regained her spot as British No 1.
She was seen cheering the strapping star on before his win at Queen's Club last weekend and there was even speculation that he had been spotted at the same hotel as her.
So the question on every tennis fan's lips is: does the spark between the duo, both 22 (just look at them laughing on camera together as their sporting partnership is unveiled) signal the start of a genuine romance, or more of a convenient 'showmance'?
Because even the merest hint that the hottest tennis love affair since Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi might be brewing must be the marketing equivalent of serving an ace at match point.
Coincidentally – or not – the pair share both agents (sports marketing giant IMG) and sponsors (Nike and Evian).
Emma's company, Harbour 6 Ltd, recorded a profit of £9.6 million in 2023 and she is said to make around £100,000 a year from each of the brands she works with; Carlos, meanwhile, is reported to have made $32 million in off-court endorsements last year.
Then there are the organisers of the revamped US Open mixed doubles event, at which the pair will play together. What better publicity could there be than a frisson between the star athletes?
Indeed, the US Open is familiar turf to IMG, in its role representing and advising the US Tennis Association (USTA) on international and domestic media rights.
As one tennis insider told the Mail this week: 'As lovely as it would be, it all seems very well-orchestrated to me.
'Alcaraz has just won the French Open and is the talk of the town; he's the Wimbledon defending champion. And then there is Raducanu, who might not be winning tournaments but is certainly being talked about all the time.
'It's like a match made in heaven, at least from a marketing and sponsorship perspective.'
However, the Mail has learned from others that far from being a partnership engineered by publicity savvy agents, this is more personal.
According to a longstanding friend of Alcaraz: 'He was so nervous to ask her to play mixed doubles. Honestly, it was like he was asking her out on a date. He went bright red, like a schoolboy with a crush.
'I've always said Emma would be perfect for him and he blushes every time I mention it. Can you imagine what their children would look like? A super-race of gorgeous, talented athletes.
'I really hope they get together – it'd be wonderful for tennis, and great for Carlos. He's a decent chap. She could do a lot worse.'
As to whether anything had actually happened between them, he says: 'If nothing has developed between them it's probably because of shyness, and perhaps they are worried about how it would affect their game.
'Watch this space though – perhaps when things calm down after Wimbledon?'
Alcaraz, whose net worth is estimated somewhere north of £35 million, is by all accounts a family-loving young man, who thinks his mum's cooking is the best in the world and about whom no one seems to have a bad to say. He would, therefore, be viewed by many as a great catch.
But one person who is unimpressed by him is Emma's granny, who feels he is not good enough for her granddaughter.
Niculina Raducanu, 92, told the Mail on Friday she wasn't aware that the British star was seeing anyone. 'She is allowed to have boyfriends, she is 22. But she never talked to me about her love life,' she said.
When presented with rumours that she was seeing Alcaraz, and shown a photo of the star, she said through an interpreter: 'I know him from TV, he's that tennis player.
'I'm surprised. I know her to be more particular. A bit picky when it comes to boys. To be honest, I'm not sure he is for her or that there is truth in this.'
Using a Romanian phrase, which roughly translates to one who wears their heart on the sleeve, she added: 'I wish for her someone you can read their soul on their face.'
So, with the tournament at the All-England Club starting on Monday, what exactly do we know of the friendship between two players with matching megawatt smiles and who grew up playing the junior tennis circuit at the same time?
As Raducanu herself says, the pair 'go back a long way'.
An old friend of the Bromley-raised star told the Mail that even on the junior circuit the two were close.
'Back in juniors they were always chatting, always gravitating toward each other. I thought they'd end up a couple. It started as a cheeky friendship, then a real bond . . . I think it's magical.'
Whether the magic translates into romance or prizes (there's $1million up for grabs at the mixed doubles event) remains to be seen, but it was the US Open, in 2021, where their paths really began to merge. Raducanu made history when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title, keeping an expectant home nation glued to their television screens in only her fourth-ever professional tournament.
Fresh from completing her A-levels, and ranked at No 150 in the world, she delivered the fairy-tale finish nobody had dreamed of.
Alcaraz also sprang to prominence, knocking out world No 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in a five-set tiebreak to reach the fourth round in the biggest win of his career at that time. He went on to reach the quarter-finals, returning to take the title the following year.
It is, therefore, fitting that it will be at Flushing Meadow again where they are set to debut as a pair. Since the announcement was made both players have been giddily talking about it. First we had Alcaraz declaring that he couldn't think of anyone better to play with than Raducanu. 'I just asked Emma if she wants to play doubles with me. Yeah, I made that special request.'
'She's gonna be the boss,' he said, adding: 'I've known Emma since a really long time ago, so we know each other. I have really good relationship with her. So it's just gonna be interesting.
'We will try to win. But obviously it's going to be really, really fun.'
And asked about the partnership by the BBC this week, Raducanu positively gushed in uncharacteristic fashion.
'He asked me earlier on in the year,' she said. 'I was very surprised, honoured and obviously excited. I just went through the formality of asking my coach, but of course, I was gonna say yes.'
Cue coy giggles. There were more giggles when she was quizzed about internet rumours that the duo are 'destined for each other'. She replied, laughing: 'I'm glad the internet is having fun and we're providing some entertainment for everyone.'
The pair are both prolific Instagrammers and often 'like' each other's social media posts, but it would seem there is a thread of something deeper, too.
Raducanu has spoken of how she got to know the Spaniard at Wimbledon in 2021 and how they have remained friends even though his star has risen, while her career has been blighted by injury, poor performance and the challenge of finding a coach she can gel with.
'He's obviously overtaken me a lot, but it's nice that we have that from a while ago,' she says. 'I think for all of us, we really kind of value those connections that we had from when we were young. Because when you become a bit more known or a bit more successful, you just find yourself reverting back to people you knew from a young age because you're like, that's a real genuine connection, because it becomes very busy and you have a lot more friends, but the ones that you've known for a long time mean a lot more to you.'
It would seem the rapport has been noted by those close to Raducanu, too. An agency insider says: 'They are close, and we've been ribbing them about the rumours, of course.
'They're both quite shy – not big daters – but they're comfortable with one another, which is lovely to see. They're almost like brother and sister . . . yet there's definitely a spark. You can feel it.'
As for their respective relationship histories, Alcaraz is reported to have broken up with his girlfriend, amateur tennis player Maria Gonzalez Gimenez, in 2022.
Raducanu, meanwhile, previously dated Carlo Agostinelli, the Harrow-educated son of billionaire financier Robert Agostinelli, but the two split last summer after a year together.
There have been rumours of a frisson with fellow British player Jack Draper – who seems to have been overlooked as a mixed doubles partner (he's playing the same tournament with Olympic champion Qinwen Zhen).
A stalwart presence in her player's box through the years has been her childhood friend and fellow child tennis star Benjamin Heynold, a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina, in the US.
She's also had to cope with the upsetting ordeal of a stalker who has followed her to several tournaments this year and was recently blocked from buying Wimbledon tickets by organisers.
During an interview last year, Alcaraz admitted he was single but added: 'I am looking for someone. It can be difficult as a tennis player to meet the right person because you are travelling all the time.'
If anyone could empathise with that it must be Raducanu; her family – Romanian father and Chinese mother – kept a strict rein on her social life growing up.
'My parents were very much against that [boyfriends] as it interfered with training,' she said in an interview last year.
'When I was younger I wasn't even allowed to hang out with my girlfriends. A lot of the time I was very resentful. But it made me very confident and comfortable in my own company, which is also a big strength.'
But she was wistful in an interview earlier this year, when she said: 'I think this year I've gone on loads of solo walks, solo coffee dates and just have a lot of time to kind of look inside . . . I've been enjoying it so far, even though it's not necessarily the easiest thing to do, especially when the tour is quite a lonely place.'
Could Alcaraz be the man to change that?
Sports marketing expert Tim Lopez, CEO of TLNT Global, says if the romance was genuine, it would catapult both players into the stratosphere.
'From a brand positioning profile and marketing perspective, it would be an absolute dream. They would be a good example of where one plus one makes three.'
They would be hugely 'complementary', he adds. 'They would join ranks of other famous power couples such as Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi, or, outside of tennis, the likes of Becks and Posh.'
And if it's all just rumour?
'Leaving aside the impact it may have on them personally,' he says. 'It will have done nothing but promote both their names in the public consciousness and add to their already high profiles. If it's strategic . . . bravo!'
As a season of tennis unfolds, wouldn't it be the ultimate sporting fairy-tale if the marketing dream of 'Raducaraz' turned into a genuine love match.