The Spaniard has been linked—at least playfully—by fans to fellow tennis star Emma Raducanu, especially after the news broke that the two will be teaming up for mixed doubles at this year’s US Open. Now, with the pair spotted training together ahead of the tournament, the speculation has only grown louder.

The team of Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz - an alliance with the power to turn the tennis public into a gaggle of giggling, gossiping teenagers - were bumped out in the first round of the US Open’...

It means their partnership is still up in the air, and given the quick turnaround, Alcaraz could well withdraw before he and Raducanu face Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula on Tuesday afternoon.