Despite a largely successful season, it has been disappointing times for the former World Number 1, Carlos Alcaraz over the past few weeks. Last week, he failed to defend his US Open crown, losing against Daniil Medvedev in the last-four clash. Subsequently, he also surrendered the top spot in the ATP rankings to Novak Djokovic, the 2023 US Open champion. The disappointment didn’t end there as the Spaniard received massive backlash for an unfortunate incident.

After his US Open defeat, Alcaraz returned to Spain, his native country where he attended a bullfighting event. The image of him at the event went viral on social media and Alcaraz faced criticism from netizens for his presence at the event. Recently, one of the world’s biggest organizations has opened up on this issue.

Carlos Alcaraz slammed for attending bullfighting event by PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the world’s biggest animal rights organization. Hours ago, the UK wing of the organization took to its official Twitter handle to make a request to the Spaniard amidst his bullfighting controversy.

Talking about it, PETA UK said, “Bullfighting is torture, not culture. There’s nothing entertaining about stabbing and torturing animals – and the majority of young people in Spain reject bullfighting as the bloodsport it is. @carlosalcaraz, please reject this cruelty today. Tennis is sport; animal abuse is not.”

The bullfighting event was held in Murcia, Spain earlier this week. The former World Number 1 rushed to his native country as soon as his stint at the US Open this year ended. Alcaraz’s image, which went viral on social media, captured him smiling and enjoying the bullfighting event. As a result, he faced the wrath of netizens.

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What did fans say about the controversy?

Although the Spaniard has a huge fan following, his fans were disappointed to see him attend the sporting event that has not been well received by animal rights activists. Reacting to his viral image at the event, one of the fans said, “Is this for real??? I really like Alcaraz but if he supports such a cruel and inhumane thing I can’t… This is really disappointing.” Another netizen sounded dejected, writing, “Disgusting.. I’m never liking this guys again, shameful.”

Despite not being the best of times for him, Alcaraz will look to shift his focus back to tennis as he aims to reclaim the lost spot on the ATP rankings chart. Can he come back stronger and prove haters wrong? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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