Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz will hit the Magic Box this spring.
The 17-year-old Alcaraz has been awarded a wild card into the Mutua Madrid Open, set for April 27-May 9th.
Toni Nadal: Medvedev Lost Mental Game in AO Final
Alcaraz showed his skills upsetting top-seeded David Goffin at the Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne last month, becoming the youngest man to defeat a Top 15 opponent since Richard Gasquet beat Nicolás Massú (No. 14) in the Buenos Aires quarterfinals in 2004, also at the age of 17. Alcaraz qualified for the Australian Open and despite serving a 14-day hard lockdown he posted his first career Australian Open main-draw win.
Muchas gracias al @MutuaMadridOpen por el W.C en Main draw,me hace mucha ilusion jugar en Madrid,para mi es un orgullo poder jugar este torneo.
Thanks to @mutuamadridopen for the W.C in Main draw,I am very excited to play in Madrid,for me it is a pride to play this tournament. pic.twitter.com/XniObSeKoX
— Carlos Alcaraz (@alcarazcarlos03) February 24, 2021
“I wanted to thank the Mutua Madrid Open for giving me the opportunity to play in the Magic Box,” Alcaraz said. “It is a great experience for me to be able to play in Spain with all the people. I hope to play a good role there next May.
“I am very excited to play in Madrid,for me it is a pride to play this tournament.”
The Spanish teenager is coached by former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero and has been praised by 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal as a player with great potential.
“This invitation is a commitment to youth,” Madrid tournament director Feliciano Lopez said. “I haven’t seen a Spanish player with that potential in many years.
“Watching a boy as young play as Carlos does is something very special, something unique.”
Last week, Alcaraz was awarded an Acapulco wild card, joining a field that will feature 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, world No. 7 Alexander Zverev, world No. 9 Diego Schwartzman, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic.
Photo credit: Brandon Malone/Getty