Former British number one Sir Andy Murray has jokingly branded Carlos Alcaraz as a “very average golfer” while admitting that he does “particularly enjoy watching” the Spaniard on the tennis court.

Three-time Grand Slam winner Murray retired from the sport in 2024 but has since taken up golf to fill the void left by tennis, with the 38-year-old striking up a somewhat surprising friendship with Alcaraz after the pair played a round of golf before this year’s Wimbledon.

Several public exchanges followed across social media, with the Spaniard even asked about their round in an on-court interview after his win over Jan-Lennard Struff at SW19.

And speaking in a recent interview with The Timestwo-time Wimbledon winner Murray said that Alcaraz is “a very average golfer, unfortunately for him”, before admitting that on the court, “his tennis reminds me of my favourite footballer growing up, which was Ronaldinho”.

“They’ve got all of this skill and ability, they obviously want to win, but they play with a smile on their face,” he explained.

“If the moment comes to do something entertaining they will, and I think that’s what makes them so absorbing because you never know what is going to happen next, so I particularly enjoy watching him.”

Alcaraz became a six-time major winner earlier this month with a crushing win over main rival Jannik Sinner in the US Open finalwith the Spaniard needing a win at the Australian Open in January to complete a career Grand Slam at the age of just 22.

And though his budding golf-driven friendship with Murray has proven popular with tennis fans, the Scot is far more than just a casual golfer, with the former tennis World No 1 set to play at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October. The event is the first step in a budding golf career as the 38-year-old looks to bring his handicap down to scratch and in order to earn a shot at regional qualifying for the Open Championship in 2027.

“I guess it has filled a bit of a void. It is something to practice and get better at and there are so many different parts of the game you can work on, and I don’t find that boring,” he said as he explained his time spent playing golf.

“If I can improve enough, I think it would be a fun thing to do,” he said, referring to the regional qualifying.

“The more I play, the less I enjoy just playing socially. I don’t know if I’ll be capable of entering, but I want to try and play in a few more events.”

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