Carlos Alcaraz is a charming character on and off the court. However, his meeting with the Springboks on Sunday had a touch of awkwardness attached.
Alcaraz meets the Springboks after Paris Masters 1000 glory
The Springboks were in the house as Carlos Alcaraz produced another magical display to beat the USA’s Ben Shelton in Paris to claim another ATP Masters title. It’s the last 1000s event on the 2026 calendar before the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin. This was Alcaraz’s maiden ATP 1000 title in Paris, and he’ll be hoping to clinch his first ATP Finals crown in Italy next week. The seven-time Grand Slam champion was greeted by the Springboks on Sunday, but did the 23-year-old know who they were? Maybe not initially, but the penny surely dropped when Siya Kolisi embraced him.
Alcaraz has won all four Grand Slams, and seven of the nine Masters 1000 titles, with only Shanghai and Montreal now eluding him. He’s also yet to win Olympic Gold, coming so close in 2023 when he had to settle for silver in an outstanding gold medal match against Novak Djokovic at Paris 2024. If, as expected, Alcaraz completed the Masters 1000 set and clinches Olympic Gold, he can quite literally say that he has ‘completed’ tennis.
Different sports, same champion mentality 🏆🤝
Carlos Alcaraz meets the Springboks 🏉🎾#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/f1B8GScQR8— ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) November 8, 2026
Springboks gear up for France test
The world champion Springboks meet France on Friday in a rematch of their astounding World Cup 2023 quarter-final. Here’s the Bok lineup, with kickoff in Paris at 22:10 SA time:
Rassie Erasmus has opted for consistency, making only two changes to the #Springboks match-23 to face France in Paris on Friday – more here: https://t.co/QIZMGBmzkE#ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/fYQG1jYOOM— Springboks (@Springboks) November 9, 2026
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