King Felipe and Queen Letizia Present Carlos Alcaraz with Sportsman Award
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz was with the King and Queen of Spain today!
At El Pardo Palace in Madrid, King Felipe and Queen Letizia presented Alcaraz with the 'Rey Felipe' sport award, for best Spanish athlete of the year, during the 2022 National Sports Awards. (It's unclear why the 2022 Awards are being presented in April 2024.)
Per the Spanish royal family, "The King and Queen preside over the presentation of these awards, which expressly recognize people and entities that, either through their direct activity or personal initiative, or as participants in the development of sports policy, have contributed significantly. to promote or spread physical-sports activity." King Felipe and Queen Letizia were joined by Pilar Alegría, the Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports and José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, the president of the Higher Sports Council (CSD).
After the awards ceremony, they met with the athletes at a reception at the palace.
This wasn't Alcaraz's first time meeting with Spanish royalty. In September 2022, after winning the U.S. Open, King Felipe hosted Alcaraz and other tennis players at Zarzuela Palace. And, last summer, King Felipe attended the Wimbledon men's finals—watching Alcaraz defeat Novak Djokovic in a thrilling match. The Spanish king sat in the royal box along with the British royal family (Kate Middleton, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, and Prince George.)
After he won, Alcaraz said, "It's special to play in front of royalty. King Felipe, I am really proud that you are here supporting me. When I played in front of you twice, twice I won — I hope you are coming more! It is really special, and I have to thank you for coming and supporting!"
The clay court season begins next week, with Alcaraz set to play in the Monte-Carlo Masters.
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