Carlos Alcaraz's Vanity Fair shoot and the art of being a transcendent tennis star

Carlos Alcaraz's head-turning “Vanity Fair” cover was a reminder of how tennis can escape its own boundaries. ATP Media Share articleWelcome back to the Monday Tennis Briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories from the past week on court. This week, Carlos Alcaraz took over clay season without hitting a ball, a very patriotic fuel source was key to one player’s Italian Open run and the lawsuit hanging over professional tennis took a new twist. If you’d like to follow our fantastic tennis coverage, click here. Judging by last week, Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t need to play in the French Open to be a main character. One reason he’s still front of mind is the brow-furrowingly thin group of contenders who seem capable of stepping up in his absence, to challenge Jannik Sinner and make a run at a major title. The other reason is a glossy magazine spread. How old-fashioned! Alcaraz was one of three athletes who each got their own cover for this month’s showpiece sports issue of “Vanity Fair” — alongside the WNBA’s A’ja Wilson and global soccer star Kylian Mbappe. Both Mbappe and Alcaraz went with a sultry vibe for their cover portraits, but what really got the internet aflutter was the cheeky photos of Alcaraz rolling around in the red dirt. In the seven-time Grand Slam champion’s spread, shot by Ethan James Green, Alcaraz posed in an all-white ensemble of a vest, shorts, a top and a suit, stained with clay. Not to constantly compare him to tennis’s other Spanish superstar, but it was reminiscent of when Rafael Nadal left the confines of usual tennis-player branding and starred in a Shakira music video. There was also some rolling on the ground involved in that. A post shared by VANITY FAIR (@vanityfair) It’s always nice to be reminded that a big, splashy magazine shoot can still make noise in tennis. Magazines — particularly ones that center fashion or elements of culture that have little to do with sports — have been go-to spaces for tennis stars looking to reach a broad audience and perhaps cast themselves as more than just athletes. Naomi Osaka cemented her place as a global figure at the intersection of business and fashion by sitting for covers with the likes of “The New York Times Magazine” in 2018, “Wall Street Journal Magazine” in 2020 and the cool British lifestyle mag “Dazed” in 2022. Coco Gauff went with the most mainstream coronation there is and wore a glittering gold dress on the cover of “Vogue” after winning the U.S. Open in 2023. Only a few players per tennis generation become successful crossover brands. It’s interesting to watch it happen from the early stages, in part because how a player positions themselves in culture feels like a window into their values, goals and self-concept. The last time an Alcaraz photo shoot made waves online it was a “GQ Spain” cover in April last year. “Vanity Fair” feels like a logical next step for a star who, at this point in his career, wants to communicate he’s game to have some fun, embrace a heartthrob persona — and put on an all-white outfit to roll around in red-orange dust. Luciano Darderi’s run to the Italian Open semifinals was in part powered by a very relatable source of fuel for his compatriots: Espresso. The Italian No. 18 seed took out Tommy Paul, Alexander Zverev and Rafael Jódar before losing to Casper Ruud in the semifinals, and often eschewed the more popular energy gels or electrolyte-filled water for a quick espresso when he needed a boost. Much of the caffeination took place during his quarterfinal against Jódar, which finished at after 2 a.m. in Rome after delays due to both rain and fireworks, the latter coming from the nearby Stadio Olimpico. Darderi also knocked one back during his fourth-round match against Zverev, and both matches ended with him winning the final set 6-0, so the caffeine hit obviously worked. Darderi also ate — or perhaps rawdogged — a packet of sugar in the set against Zverev, and according to a graphic from Tennis Channel, his forehand speed then went up by 6 miles per hour as he turned the match in his favor. Players tend to take on longer lasting sources of energy, but reaching for a quickfire caffeine or sugar hit in times of need is not unheard of and the psychological impact of feeling energized can be just as important as any actual boost. At last year’s BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif., Yosuke Watanuki was down a break 5-4 in the second set when he requested a can of Pepsi during a match against Frances Tiafoe. Watanuki immediately broke back and then claimed the set to win the match. Tennis Channel again provided a wry graphic, this time showing that Watanuki’s topspin forehands increased from 77 mph on average to 80 mph post-Pepsi. Nutritionists are unlikely recommend these kinds of drinks regularly — a fizzy drink can make a player feel bloated and gassy — but if it’s what a player is craving as an alternative to a regular electrolyte drink, then it can serve an immediate need. Darderi’s use of coffee also called to mind one of the more remarkable matches in recent years: Corentin Moutet’s first-round match against Shang Juncheng at the 2024 Madrid Open. Moutet requested coffee from the chair umpire down 3-0 in the second set, but his request was denied. “Why can’t you provide me coffee? Is it because I’m on Court 4? Tell me!” Moutet said. He promptly grabbed a coffee from a spectator, but ultimately lost one of the most chaotic matches of the year. Espresso certainly did the trick for Darderi in Rome, a city where his preferred energy boost was very relatable.That is, at least, until his semifinal against Ruud, when he hit the wall and lost 6-1, 6-1. The lawsuit between the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA) and three of the Grand Slams over the future of tennis has taken another turn, with the French Open and Wimbledon rejecting credential applications for PTPA leaders. Credentials grant people access to player areas and other non-public parts of Roland Garros and the All England Club. The denial of credentials, as reported by Daniel Kaplan, has led to the PTPA lodging a motion with Judge Margaret Garnett, who is presiding over the wider antitrust lawsuit’s filing in New York City, asking her to order the French Tennis Federation and All England Lawn Tennis Club to provide the PTPA with credentials. The filing includes email correspondence between the PTPA and the two federations, detailing the denials. For the officials at the FFT and AELTC quoted in those emails, the decision not to directly credential an organization which is suing them is an obvious one and, according to the FFT, “nothing personal.” In an email to Romain Rosenberg, the PTPA’s executive director, FFT president Gilles Moretton and chief executive Stéphane Morel wrote that there would be “no issue” with Rosenberg and other PTPA officials attaching themselves to credential requests made by individual players. The AELTC’s chief executive, Sally Bolton, wrote a similar email to Rosenberg, but did not mention alternative credentialing routes. To the PTPA, the decision by the FFT and AELTC represents a petty tactic aimed at preventing the PTPA from performing its duties. “The Grand Slams are engaged in petulant retaliation that undermines PTPA’s ability to communicate with and protect the named plaintiffs and class members,” wrote Anthony Tulumello, a lawyer with Weil, Gotshal & Manges, which is representing the PTPA, in the motion it filed late last week. As of Sunday, Judge Garnett had yet to rule. U.S. labor law does allow private organizations to prohibit non-employee union organizers from entering its premises, though there are certain exceptions. The PTPA is not a union, and the two tournaments in question do not take place on U.S. soil. Holger Rune suffers setback in accelerated comeback from Achilles tear Why the tennis handshake has become a theater of controversy Jelena Ostapenko accuses player of 'all kinds of simulations' after handshake snub Andy Murray set to coach Jack Draper at Wimbledon Coco Gauff got past Mirra Andreeva. They are both trying to get out of their own way Another French Open men's contender will miss the event. Is the field cooked? Rafael Nadal dismisses links to Real Madrid presidency bid For tennis stars, retiring can feel like death. Sorana Cîrstea is very much alive 32 and counting: Jannik Sinner breaks Novak Djokovic ATP Masters 1000 win record University of Arkansas reinstates tennis programs 20 days after cutting them Coco Gauff and Iga Świątek are finding their feet on clay Emma Raducanu reunites with coach from 2021 U.S. Open title run Elina Svitolina claims Italian Open title with third win in a row over Coco Gauff Jannik Sinner breaks Novak Djokovic's ATP Masters 1000 title record in Rome 🏆 Jannik Sinner (1) def. Casper Ruud (23) 6-4, 6-4 to win the Italian Open (1,000) in Rome. It is Sinner’s sixth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title. 🏆 Elina Svitolina (7) def. Coco Gauff (3) 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 to win the Italian Open (1,000) in Rome. It is Svitolina’s third Italian Open title; her last one came in 2018. 📈 Elina Svitolina moves up three places from No. 10 to No. 7. 📈 Martin Landaluce ascends 27 spots from No. 67 to No. 94 after reaching the Italian Open quarterfinals as a lucky loser. 📈 Nikola Bartůňková reaches a career-high ranking of No. 65 after moving up 29 places from No. 94. 📈 Luciano Darderi rises four spots from No. 20 to No. 16, a career-high ranking. 📉 Jack Draper falls 26 places from No. 50 to No. 76. 📉 Jasmine Paolini leaves the top 10, dropping five places from No. 8 to No. 13. 📉 Hubert Hurkacz also tumbles 26 spots, from No. 53 to No. 79. 📉 Zheng Qinwen moves down 21 spots from No. 32 to No. 53. 📍Hamburg, Germany: Hamburg Open (500) featuring Félix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton, João Fonseca, Flavio Cobolli. 📍Geneva: Geneva Open (250) featuring Taylor Fritz, Alexander Bublik, Casper Ruud, Learner Tien. 📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel 💻 Tennis TV 📍Strasbourg, France: Strasbourg International (500) featuring Emma Raducanu, Iva Jović, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Hailey Baptiste. 📍Marrakech, Morocco: Morocco Open (250) featuring Janice Tjen, Laura Siegemund, Anna Bondár, Zeynep Sönmez. 📺 UK: Sky Sports; U.S.: Tennis Channel Tell us what you noticed this week in the comments below as the men’s and women’s tours continue. 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