(VIDEO) Rune and Alcaraz play doubles together at age of 13 as their rise comes full circle at Wimbledon

Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune played doubles together at the prestigious tennis junior event Les Petits As when they were 13 years old.

Both players are the new rising stars on the ATP tour. With Alcaraz as the world No. 1 and Rune as the world No. 6, these 20-year-old players are starting a rivalry that will dominate the tour in the coming years.

Alcaraz and Rune will face each other tomorrow on the Center Court at the All England Club in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. This will be their first meeting in a Grand Slam and also their first on grass. So far, their head-to-head record is tied at 1-1, with Alcaraz winning at the Next Gen ATP Finals (a trophy that eventually went to Alcaraz) and Rune triumphing at the Paris Masters 1000, where Alcaraz retired when the score was 6-3, 6-6 in favor of Rune, who went on to become the champion of the tournament.

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The 20-year-old tennis players have known each other since their junior days, as they always competed in the same tournaments and age category, being born just a week apart. A video has been released showing Alcaraz and Rune playing doubles together at the prestigious tennis junior event Les Petits As when they were only 13 years old, displaying the skills that have now put them in the spotlight of the tennis world.

Luigi Gatto

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Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune playing doubles together at 13 years of age 😍 (via @LesPetitsAs)

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Alcaraz is playing his first quarterfinal at Wimbledon, although there are some doubts about the level he has shown, still far from his performance on other courts. Alcaraz has already defeated two tough opponents in the third and fourth rounds, including the 25th seed Nicolas Jarry and former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.

On the other hand, Rune managed to come back from a seemingly lost match against the 31st seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, winning in the final 10-point tie-break of the fifth set. In the round of 16, he defeated the always challenging Grigor Dimitrov in four sets.

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