"I will beat you": Carlos Alcaraz challenges Tim Henman for a golf match after cementing US Open semifinal berth

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz has challenged former British number one Tim Henman for a golf contest. The 22-year-old is currently taking part in the US Open 2025, where he has cemented his spot in the last four after beating the Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.

Alcaraz spoke to Sky Sports, where he was asked about whether he would like to invite Heman for a golf match on a free day. In response to that, Alcaraz invited Henman and stated that he would beat him. “We just set it up, around four people are ready,” said Alcaraz. “So Tim, we are going to set it up, you know, one against you, don't worry. I will beat you. I will beat you.”

Henman was later asked about whether the two had played golf together in the past. In response to that, Henman stated that he is aware of Alcaraz’s skills on the golfing course ,as they have faced each other earlier during the Queen’s Club Championships as well. “Yeah, we had a little game just after Queens, the Monday after Queens, before Wimbledon. Who won? Yeah, eight of us,” said Henman. “I was playing, Carlos and Juan Carlos played with Andy Murray, I was playing with Alex de Menor, Leighton Hewitt, so I didn't actually get the chance to play Carlos, but I look forward to the opportunity.”

Henman was further asked about what he has to say to Alcaraz’s claim that he would ‘beat’ him if the two played golf together. In response to that, Henman stated that Alcaraz has shown to be a ‘dreamer’ on the tennis court and is dreaming about beating him as well. “Yeah, I mean, we've seen he's a dreamer on the court with some of those shots that he's hitting, and he's obviously dreaming on the golf course as well,” said Henman.

Talking about his own performance in the match, Alcaraz stated that his serve played a big role in him securing a fifth consecutive straight sets win. Alcaraz also stated that the reason behind playing some of the shots is to ensure that there is some entertainment for the fans.

“Well, I think the serve is a really important weapon nowadays, so I had to work on it just to be perfect, to be as good as I can, because it gives you a lot of confidence when you play in the return games,” said Alcaraz. “You can play aggressively in the return and push him to the limit and put pressure on his game. So I'm just really, really happy with the way that I'm serving right now, and I think it's why I'm just playing with such joy and no pressure at all. Well, sometimes I just put some shots that I might not play in that moment, but it's the way that I love playing tennis, and I'm trying to follow it as much as I can, just to have a mix from both, playing solid, playing well, playing smart, but at the same time, when I have the opportunity to bring a really great shot, let's say a hot shot, I'm thinking like, why not? So I'm here to entertain the people as well, to entertain myself and my team, so I think those shots are sometimes really grateful for me.”

Alcaraz’s next opponent will be the 24-time Grand Slam winner, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. The 38-year-old defeated America’s Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinal with a score of 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. It will be the ninth meeting between the two players in professional tennis. In the previous eight meetings, Djokovic had a slight advantage as he came out on five occasions.