In a final delayed by the visit of US President Donald Trump, Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner on Sunday to win the US Open, reasserting his dominance of an era-defining rivalry.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz won 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to capture his second US Open crown and sixth Grand Slam title, avenging his lone defeat in a major final by Sinner at Wimbledon in July. Alcaraz has now won seven of the past eight meetings and is 10-5 overall against Sinner.
However, the President did not seem too happy with this win, and the Internet noticed.
In the viral video, Trump, whose attendance at the US Open was met with mixed responses, including boos from the audience, appeared visibly displeased with the outcome of the final match.
Netizens speculated that he might have been rooting for Sinner instead. But Trump said he “loved” attending the match and praised the “unbelievable talent” of both players.
“I don’t think Donald Trump is pleased with the Carlos Alcaraz win. Maybe he was rooting for Jannik Sinner,” a social media user said while posting Trump’s reaction online.
Here’s how netizens reacted:
Unsure of what to make of the reaction, netizens joked that Trump “had placed a huge bet on Sinner.”
“He clearly doesn’t like to see brown people win,” one user said.
Another said, “He looked truly bummed that Alcaraz won. I doubt he cares about tennis at all, so the only logical reason is that he views Sinner as more ‘white’ than a Spaniard like Alcaraz, who, in his mind, might as well be Mexican.”
“I was neutral on who I wanted to win, but look at Trump’s facial expression after Alcarez won! Now I’m so glad Alcaraz won the championship,” added another user.
“One thing is quite clear: Trump shows his disgusting emotions to the whole world. Most decent humans enjoyed the game & applauded. Trump showed his disdain. Maybe it’s the reason his repulsive & heinous MAGA Cult loves him,” a netizen said.
Reuters/ipsos polls found that Donald Trump’s approval rating stood at 40% in late July and mid-August, the lowest of his presidency.
Carlos Alcaraz on US President attending US Open:
“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,” Carlos Alcaraz said.
