"Are they being shipped there? Why are there so many?": Carlos Alcaraz' collection of 22 pairs of shoes on tour mind boggling to Querrey and Isner

Former world No. 8 John Isner and ex-top-20 pro Sam Querrey weighed in on two of tennis’s more unexpected talking points this week, a brief social media spat involving Danielle Collins and Corentin Moutet, and the eye-catching size of Carlos Alcaraz’s shoe collection.

The discussion on Nothing Major began with the viral moment from Tennis Channel’s Miami coverage, where Collins, appearing on the TC Live desk alongside Steve Weissman and Jimmy Arias, shared an anecdote involving Moutet in Miami. According to Querrey, Collins “kind of went rogue” during the broadcast, recounting how Moutet had allegedly asked her to play mixed doubles and followed her on Instagram, only for her to ignore him. Moutet later pushed back publicly, claiming the opposite.

What followed was a light-hearted but widely circulated back-and-forth, with Collins joking that Moutet would need “a better game and a bigger serve” to get her attention. “It was unbelievable nonsense and drama,” Querrey said. “But I thought it was really entertaining.” The story quickly spread across social media, dominating feeds for much of the day before fading just as quickly. “If you opened X or Instagram, it was everywhere for about eight hours,” he added. “It’ll be a non-story now, after we talk about it, no one will mention it again.”

While the exchange amused viewers, Isner pointed out the awkward position it created on the studio desk, particularly for Arias. “Jimmy wanted nothing to do with it,” Isner said. “He’s an old-school guy, a great player in his own right, top five in the world, a legend, and I don’t even think he has Instagram. He’s just sitting there in the middle of this. I felt really bad for him.”

Querrey agreed the situation would quickly blow over, comparing it to a recent on-air moment involving Coco Vandeweghe and Christopher Eubanks that was widely misinterpreted. “If you know them, you knew they were joking the whole time, it was a bit, but not everyone picked up on that,” he said, before adding, “Still, it’s juicy stuff from Tennis Channel right now.”

The conversation then shifted to a very different topic, Alcaraz’s Instagram post following Indian Wells. Among a carousel of images celebrating his tournament, one photo stood out, a neatly arranged display of shoes in front of a fireplace. Querrey took a closer look. “I counted them, 22 pairs of shoes that he brought to Indian Wells,” he said. “And those weren’t even tennis shoes.”

Factoring in match footwear, Querrey estimated the Spaniard may have travelled with around 30 pairs in total, raising obvious logistical questions. “Is he bringing two full suitcases just for shoes? Are they being shipped there? Why are there so many?” he asked.

For context, both former pros outlined their own, far simpler packing routines. “For non-tennis shoes, I’d bring one pair, like white casual shoes,” Isner explained. “Maybe one more if I was gone for a long time.” He added that even his full setup felt like a lot, one large suitcase for clothes, a duffel bag for shoes, “because my shoes are so big”, and a tennis bag. “That already felt like a lot,” he said.

By comparison, Alcaraz’s apparent setup raised eyebrows. “If that’s the case, he’s got like six bags,” Querrey said.

The logistics of transporting such a collection quickly became a topic of speculation. “Something tells me he’s not checking in at the American Airlines counter in Palm Springs flying to Miami,” Isner joked. Querrey agreed that private travel likely plays a role on certain legs of the tour, though not necessarily all. “Palm Springs to Miami, private,” he said. “But maybe Doha to the desert, that’s commercial, Emirates or Qatar.”

That led to one final, tongue-in-cheek question, would even a star like Alcaraz face excess baggage charges? “I wonder if they ever tell him, ‘Sorry, man, four bags max, you owe extra fees,’” Querrey said. “‘That’ll be €120 for the shoes.’”

While neither topic carries lasting significance, the discussion offered a snapshot of the modern tennis landscape, where social media moments can briefly dominate the conversation and the lifestyle of top stars continues to fascinate. As Querrey summed up, the Collins–Moutet exchange may already be fading, but it served its purpose. “It’ll be a non-story in two days,” he said. “But for a moment, it was everywhere.”