Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are massive stars, not just in tennis but across all sports. That’s exactly why both of them ended up presenting trophies this weekend.
The two had pretty different 2024 seasons, but they’re spending their off-season doing similar things. Alcaraz lost his final match at the ATP Finals to Jannik Sinner, while Djokovic actually finished on a high note by winning the Athens Open.
But here’s the thing – Djokovic chose to skip the year-end championship entirely.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz | 22 | 68,791 | 25 - 5 |
Tennis has a really short off-season compared to other sports. Some players get just one month to rest, recover, and get ready for the next season. This year, they’re getting up to six weeks after lots of complaints about the packed calendar.
With more downtime, tennis players can actually enjoy life a bit more. And when you’re as famous as Alcaraz and Djokovic, opportunities come knocking from all over the sports world.
Both guys presented trophies this weekend, but that’s where the similarities end. They were on completely different continents, handing out awards for totally different sports.
Djokovic Takes Center Stage in Qatar
Djokovic became a global ambassador for Qatar Airways in 2024, and he’s been showing up at the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix ever since. Last year, he was hanging out in the McLaren F1 Team garage.
This time around, he got the honor of presenting trophies to the top three finishers in the Qatar Grand Prix’s sprint race.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri won the sprint race, with Mercedes’ George Russell coming in second and Lando Norris grabbing third place. After the race, Djokovic was right there waiting to hand them their trophies.
The sprint race was actually pretty important for the World Drivers’ Championship standings, with only a few points separating the top three drivers.
Alcaraz Gets His Soccer Moment
Meanwhile, Alcaraz was at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, doing something completely different. The guy’s a huge soccer fan and supports Real Madrid.
But here’s the ironic part – he was presenting a trophy to someone who’s given Real Madrid fans plenty of nightmares over the years.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami won the Eastern Conference finals in Major League Soccer after beating New York City FC. And Alcaraz was the one handing over the trophy to Messi and his team.
Talk about putting club loyalty aside for a cool moment.
Inter Miami now has their sights set on Vancouver Whitecaps FC. If they can beat the Whitecaps, they’ll lift their first-ever MLS Cup.
It’s pretty amazing how tennis stars can branch out during the off-season and become part of other sports’ biggest moments.
