Carlos Alcaraz Speaks on Donald Trump Attending the US Open Final

Originally posted on Serve on SI | By Pat Benson | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 9:50 AM ET

On Friday afternoon, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz won their semifinal matches on opposite sides of the draw. Once again, the tennis world will be treated to another epic chapter of the generational-defining rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz.

As if the highly anticipated US Open men's final were not receiving enough attention, President of the United States Donald Trump will be in attendance for Sunday afternoon's match between the top two players in the ATP.

After defeating Novak Djokovic in Friday's semifinal match, Alcaraz was asked about playing in front of Trump the final match at the 5:10 mark in his post-match press conference. The YouTube video and transcript of Alcaraz's answer are below.

"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," said Alcaraz.

"For me, playing in front of him, to be honest, 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, I think it's great for tennis to have the president into the final," concluded Alcaraz.

According to The Guardian, Trump was once a fixture at the Grand Slam event. The Trump Organization even maintained a suite adjacent to the broadcast booth up until 2017.

Here’s the email to media from the U.S. Open on security ahead of Trump’s arrival for Sinner/Alcaraz pic.twitter.com/SDbxEEl9Y9
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) September 6, 2025

While former President Barack Obama and his wife, former First Lady Michelle, appeared on opening night of the US Open in 2023, Trump will be the first sitting US president in 25 years to attend the tournament since former President Bill Clinton watched the women's final in 2000.

Sinner and Alcaraz will face each other at 2:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, September 7. Alcaraz leads the head-to-head record 9-5. Their last match in the Cincinnati Open final was cut short due to Sinner feeling ill during the match. Before that, Sinner won Wimbledon and Alcaraz won Roland Garros.

This article first appeared on Serve on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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