Carlos Alcaraz had fired back at Andy Murray after the Briton's 'smoking' dig as he raced into the US Open semi-finals.
The Spaniard cruised past Jiri Lehecka in straight sets to book his place in the last four at another Grand Slam. He will face the 38-year-old Novak Djokovic, who overcame a partisan crowd to defeat Taylor Fritz.
The mouth-watering semi-final clash will take place at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday. But Alcaraz's performances on the court are not the headlines which he has been making.
Off the court, he has found himself in an exchange with Murray, the three-time Grand Slam champion who retired in 2024. With Spanish golf legend Sergio Garcia watching in the stands, Alcaraz marked his quarter-final triumph with a relaxed celebration, mimicking a golf swing.
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After the game, he revealed his plans to play golf with Garcia, who is the all-time points scorer for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup.
Alcaraz said: "I would say I have a really difficult round tomorrow against Juanki, Sergio Garcia is there as well. So I have a really difficult one, but I will play for sure.
"I mean, he has to give me between 10 to 15 shots. I think it's going to be great. I'm not that good Sergio, come on."
Alcaraz's comments prompted Murray to come onto X and issue a cheeky dig at the world number two.
Murray joked: "I gave him about 12 shots and smoked him so I'd imagine Sergio would need to give him 25."
Alcaraz did not waste time to fire back at the Scotsman.
"You only beat me because your partner was good," he wrote.
"You brave enough to play me at singles?"
The light-hearted exchange highlighted the respect between one of the finest players of the previous generation and one of the sport's brightest new stars. Murray and Alcaraz only met in two competitive matches, both back in 2001.
In their first match, the Scot came from a set down to defeat the Spaniard at the ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells.
Alcaraz did not have to wait long to get his revenge over Murray, with a straight sets victory in Vienna.
For the 22-year-old his primary goal now will be to overcome another great player from the past generation in Djokovic.
If he defeats the Serb, then he will most likely face Jannik Sinner in the final, which would be a repeat of both the French Open and Wimbledon finals.
Topics: Andy Murray, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Tennis, US Open
James Taylor