"Scared of whiffing the ball!" Jon Rahm makes hilarious Carlos Alcaraz claim
Jon Rahm has lifted the lid on his Open de Espana pro-am day with tennis world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who had an attack of the dreaded 1st-tee nerves in Madrid.
Carlos Alcaraz is renowned for having nerves of steel on a tennis court, but it appears that the Spanish superstar is fallible when playing golf with a Ryder Cup hero.
Jon Rahm was delighted to meet the tennis world No 1 on the eve of the Open de Espana in Madrid, where the two compatriots competed together in the pro-am competition.
Rahm revealed that both were in awe of each other when they met on Wednesday, but it was Alcaraz's mask that slipped first!
It seems unlikely that anything would rattle the 22-year-old winner of six Grand Slam tennis titles, including two this year at the French and US Opens.
But not many people are immune to the fearsome 1st-tee nerves, and playing with a Ryder Cup legend and a two-time major champion can reduce even the hardiest of golfers to gibbering wrecks!
Alcaraz admitted to feeling the pressure, but to what extent?
Rahm revealed all during his mid-round interview on day two of the tournament, when he was in an upbeat mood having just made four birdies in five holes on the outward nine.
Social golf with Shane Lowry and Jon Rahm 🤝#OpenEspana pic.twitter.com/NtPaxa6Opx
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 10, 2025
"It was hard to tell who was more nervous," said Rahm, making his first appearance since winning three points from five matches in Europe's 15-13 victory over the USA at Bethpage Black.
"I was quite impressed to meet him, obviously I’m a fan. I like tennis although I don’t play, but I watch it and follow it a lot.
"Carlos was there playing golf with me, so he said he was scared of whiffing the ball on the 1st tee!
"But it was a great time, and it was too bad it was only nine holes, but he got to spend that with Shane Lowry, which is always a good time.
"I’m hoping we get to spend more time together in the future, but with his schedule and mine, that could be quite difficult to do."
Alcaraz caused a stir ahead of the US Open in August when he unveiled a military-style shaved head, which he opted to do after a previous haircut did not go to his liking.
But it's a style that Rahm is unlikely to copy.
"I don’t know if I’ll be doing that," he added! "He told me the story as to what happened and why he ended up with the short haircut.
"I have been thinking about getting rid of some of the hair I have, but more so with the beard than the entire head!"
Keith Jackson joined GolfMagic's content team during the summer of 2025.
He has over 25 years' experience in the sports journalism industry, with almost 20 of those spent in digital media at Sky Sports, including seven years as digital editor for golf content.
