Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz has said it will be “great for tennis” to have US President Donald Trump in attendance at Sunday’s men’s US Open final in New York.
Trump’s planned appearance continues a recent pattern of high-profile visits to major sporting events, following his trip to the NFL’s Super Bowl in February and the FIFA Club World Cup final in July.
The last sitting US president to attend the Grand Slam was Bill Clinton, who watched the women’s final in 2000 — the first presidential visit in the tournament’s history.
“I think that… it is a privilege for the tournaments having the president from every country just to support the tournament, to support tennis, and to support the match,” Alcaraz told reporters on Friday.
“For me, playing in front of him… I will try not to think about it. I don’t want myself to be nervous because of it, but I think attending the tennis match, it’s great for tennis to have the president at the final.”
The 21-year-old, who has already claimed five Grand Slam titles, will face either defending champion Jannik Sinner or Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime in Sunday’s showpiece.
