(VIDEO) "Rain delay fun": Carlos Alcaraz joins crowd in Mexican wave while waiting out rain delay at Cincinnati Open

ATP
Wednesday, 16 August 2023 at 12:40
alcarazwave
Carlos Alcaraz joined the crowd in a Mexican wave to pass the time during a rain delay that disrupted his match against Jordan Thompson at the Cincinnati Open.
World No. 1 Alcaraz achieved his 50th match win of the year after defeating Thompson in the first round of the Western & Southern Open in Ohio. It wasn't all plain sailing for the top seed though, as he made 26 unforced errors in the opening set alone.
The two-time Grand Slam champion then saw the second set slip away from him, as the world No. 55 took the set 6-4. However, Alcaraz finally re-found his form in the deciding set, defeating Thompson 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

Rain delays disrupt match

The match included further difficulties in the form of rain delays disrupting play. This is just one example of adverse weather conditions affecting players at the tournament, as strong winds have also made it tricky.
Nevertheless, Alcaraz made the best of the situation by joining the crowd in a Mexican wave. The 20-year-old can be seen smiling as he stands under an umbrella waiting for the rain to pass, tracking the wave around the crowd and lifting his arms when it reaches his section.
Fans took to social media to express their joy at seeing how happy Alcaraz looked despite the disruption to the match.

Alcaraz 'happy to be there'

"He’s always just happy to be out there," wrote The Tennis Letter.
Meanwhile, Tennis Channel captioned the video "Joining in the rain delay fun."
"he is so lovely. That kid!" one fan commented.
Speaking after his win, Alcaraz said the rain delays and the match as a whole weren't easy, but he was glad to have found his form at the end.
"It wasn't an easy match but I found my best level at the end," he said, "We were waiting around all day to play the match and then when you step on the court you have to start with the rain, so it wasn't easy.
"But you have to find a way to win these matches in this type of situation."

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