Rafael Nadal shares a great bond with rising tennis players, showing that great minds think alike on and off the court. Even though he is playing doubles with Carlos Alcaraz, he has a totally different equation when it comes to his friendship with the WTA world number one, Iga Swiatek. Recently, when the 22-time Grand Slam champion shared a casual movement with the Pole, Alcaraz’s reaction got tennis fans talking.

One particularly memorable incident from the Paris Olympics practice session was when Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek were standing next to each other. Rafael Nadal stepped out and gave Swiatek a light handshake, acknowledging the world no. 1 with his trademark kindness. But Nadal did not include Alcaraz in his show of support, who was standing just behind Swiatek, grabbing a reaction from the young Spaniard.

However, after the 38-year-old walked off, the four-time Grand Slam champion gave a side-eye to Swiatek, his expression imaginably filled with a mix of curiosity and intensity. If social media reactions are to believed, this brief look appeared to convey unsaid messages and a deeper level of mystery while capturing his idol’s interest.

Being an introvert, the WTA star earlier this year revealed how Nadal did not think there was anything unusual about her behavior either, jokingly stating that he thought “everything was perfect” with her, while she talked about her old habit of writing topics of conversations, when she first met him.

Swiatek stated, “I wouldn’t want anyone to look at me as a person from another world now. And [Rafael Nadal] thought I had no problems, that everything was perfect with me. Each of us has our own bubble on tour. We let the most important people in. And its interior looks different than you can read in the media.”

However, a bit of extra attention, to Swiatek and Alcaraz’s reaction to it, have received a lot of opinions from the tennis world.

Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz get fans talking

Tennis fans noticed right once how near the action Alcaraz was. After looking into it, a fan said, “Carlos so close,” describing his response to a brief exchange between Swiatek and his doubles partner. Nevertheless, another, seeing their favorite players in one photo made one fan exclaim, “Guy looking again, I realized that Carlitos is also here… My favs all together aahhhh.”

Subsequently, another fan mocked in Portuguese, explaining how the 21-year-old ATP star is a coach of side-eyes, referring to Alcaraz’s close proximity to Swiatek, almost as if he were a coach observing, “Alcaraz treinador do ladinho da Bia de novo.”

One comment noted, “Iga getting clay court juju from Rafa while Carlos side-eyes behind lmao,” alluding to Nadal’s legendary clay court prowess and his influence on Swiatek, who is also known for her strong performances on clay.

When a fan saw that Alcaraz was truly standing next to Swiatek, they expressed astonishment by commenting, “WAIT I DIDN’T EVEN NOTICE CARLOS WAS BESIDE IGA IJBOL.” Furthermore, it wouldn’t be incorrect to argue that, given the circumstances, the moment’s subtle dynamics may have gone overlooked at first before becoming apparent to spectators who watched the exchange more intently.

Rafael Nadal, Iga Swiatek, and Carlos Alcaraz’s relationship has evidently captured the attention of tennis fans by fusing curiosity, comedy, and admiration. Alcaraz’s side-eyeing and Nadal’s attendance with Swiatek have generated a lot of conversation and lighthearted remarks.

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on the whole chaos? Do let us know in the comment section below.