Alcaraz grateful for Jimmy Butler’s support: ‘He’s my guy’

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Alcaraz grateful for Jimmy Butler’s support: ‘He’s my guy’

Golden State Warriors star attended Alcaraz's match Saturday

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Carlos Alcaraz says he wants basketball advice from Jimmy Butler. By ATP Staff

NBA star Jimmy Butler is a globe-trotting tennis fanatic, having previously watched his friend Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open and Wimbledon, in Miami, and as far as Doha and Buenos Aires.

Butler’s latest stop was the BNP Paribas Open, where on Saturday he watched Alcaraz begin his quest for a third Indian Wells trophy. The Golden State Warriors player suffered a torn ACL in January and is recovering from surgery, but that has not stopped Butler from following the World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“He's my guy,” Alcaraz said of Butler, cracking a smile. “I knew that he was coming. He told me, ‘I'm just doing my rehab, [the tournament is] really close, so I'm going to show up to watch you’.

“So I’m just really happy that with everything he's been through with the rehab, that he can show up and watch my match and have a little bit of time with him afterwards. I just really appreciate that. I'm not able to see him very often, but he's making that effort to come over.”

Alcaraz delivered a standout performance, dispatching former No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-3 to extend his winning streak to 13 matches.

Though it was a flawless performance on court, Alcaraz is thankful his work is done with a racquet instead of a basketball. The 22-year-old is eager to learn tips from Butler.

“I just really want him to watch me how I shoot or how I play basketball, and then receive a little bit of advice from him,” Alcaraz said. “He didn't watch me playing basketball at all, but I would love to just show up at one of his trainings when he's [healthy] again.”

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