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Carlos Alcaraz goes from hero to villain after Wimbledon semi win
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Carlos Alcaraz goes from hero to villain after Wimbledon semifinal win

In pro wrestling terms, Carlos Alcaraz turned heel Friday in seconds. The defending Wimbledon champion basked in the cheers at Centre Court after clinching a berth in Sunday's final, only to turn around and take a subtle jab at the English crowd.  

"It's going to be a really good day for Spanish people," Alcaraz said, referencing the Spain versus England Euro 2024 final, which is also scheduled for Sunday. 

As the boos grew louder, Alcaraz clarified that he technically never predicted that the English would lose the Euro final. 

"I didn't say Spain is going to win, I'm just saying it's going to be a really fun day," he said. 

Alcaraz's Wimbledon title defense is expected to start a few hours before the England versus Spain soccer match. However, if his match were to give sets, Alcaraz might still be on the court when his country battles against the Three Lions at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

The Spaniard is trying to become the first multi-time Wimbledon champion outside the "Big 4" in the 21st century. On Friday, he became the first since Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to make the final of the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year in a quarter century. 

Widely hailed as Nadal's heir apparent, Alcaraz is on a similar trajectory as the 22-time major champion at this juncture of his career. At 21, he has already won three majors, getting off to a start comparable to Nadal's in the mid-2000s. 

A fourth major win on Sunday would cement him as the flagbearer of the post-Big 4 era.  

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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