Carlos Alcaraz makes a surprise appearance at the World Cup final

Carlos Alcaraz made an appearance at the start of the World Cup final and his fans will be hoping it is a sign of things to come for the former world No 1.

Alcaraz was joined by South Korean model and actress Hoyeon as he brought the World Cup trophy onto the pitch prior to the match between defending champions Argentina and European champions Spain.

A huge football fan, Alcaraz would have glued to a TV screen if he was not an invited guest at the World Cup final, with the Spanish superstar eager to cheer on his countrymen to glory.

Some Alcaraz fans may have been surprised to see the seven-time Grand Slam champion sporting his new long haircut, which is very different from the tight haircut he displayed at last year’s US Open.

He confirmed his brother had started to cut his hair and when he cut a little too much off, he was forced to shave his head prior to what would be a successful challenge to win the title in New York almost a year ago.

More Tennis News

Nick Kyrgios continues a summer of tennis romances as Carlos Alcaraz rumours swirl

‘Tennis isn’t an open contest without Carlos Alcaraz – Jannik Sinner is simply too strong’

Alcaraz’s appearance at the World Cup final in New Jersey meant he was not far away from that memorable triumph at the US Open and he will be hoping to be back to full fitness in time to play in the final Grand Slam of 2026.

Alcaraz has not been seen on a sporting stage since he injured his wrist at the Barcelona Open in April, with his absence from tennis seeing him miss the defence of his French Open title in Paris and he was also absent from Wimbledon.

Recent footage suggested Alcaraz was a long way from a return to action, with the 23-year-old striking the ball gently as he edged his way back to fitness.

Former British No 1 Greg Rusedski was among those who expressed his belief that Alcaraz would need more time to recover from his wrist injury.

Speaking on Off Court with Greg Rusedski, the British star said: “I would be shocked if he is playing the US Open! Because what I noticed when I was watching the video footage, you know he’s hitting some light forehands, some light backhands, barely hitting the ball, doing movement patterns.

“And when he was serving, did you realise that he didn’t hit one serve. He was doing the full motion and landing, letting the ball drop and then restarting the motion.

“For me, to put a video out like that, I guess it gets you the publicity to say, ‘ Look, I’m working hard to try to get back’. But it gives me more questions than answers and it just tells me that there’s something a lot more serious if he’s not actually hitting the ball.

“When we saw him hitting the ball against the wall, the ball was barely getting to him too, so it’s a little bit of advertisement for the Alcaraz Academy indoor court that was there, but from my perspective as a coach and a player, I am deeply concerned.”

Rusedski is not the first person to express his fear about Alcaraz following his filmed return to the court as Boris Becker also said Alcaraz was ‘far off’ a return after watching his practice videos on social media.

Click here to read article