What does Carlos Alcaraz eat before a tennis match? Wimbledon champion's diet - and his secret favourite foods

The newly minted Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz has previously revealed what his favourite indulgent food is - and he only eats it when he goes back to his home in Spain.

The 20-year-old overcame seven times winner Novak Djokovic in an epic near five hour match on Centre Court on the final day of The Championship (16 July). It was the first time the Serbian great had lost at Wimbledon since losing in the quarter-finals in 2017.

Carlos Alcaraz cemented his status as World Number 1 following his victory at the All England Club - adding a second Grand Slam to his career haul, having lifted the US Open last year aged just 19.

Djokovic has long credited his change in diet to first gluten-free and then fully plant based as one of the keys to his Grand Slam success. He even published a book in 2014 detailing how fans can follow it along at home.

But what about Carlos Alcaraz? How strict is diet - and what does he eat on game day?

Heres all you need to know:

What does Carlos Alcaraz eat before a match?

In an interview with ATP Tour last year, the young Spanish star gave fans a glimpse into his diet. He revealed that the night before a match he eats sushi.

On the day of a game, he told the website: "I have a plate of mixed gluten-free pasta. That is, pasta with and without gluten, with a cocoa cream called Ambrosía that has olive oil and dates in it. I normally eat all that, more or less, one and a half hours before a match."

Is there any food that Carlos Alcaraz doesn't eat?

The tennis star faced Novak Djokovic in the final of Wimbledon on Sunday, 16 July. His opponent has spoken about his strict diet which is gluten-free and plant-based.

But in his interview with ATP Tour, Alcaraz said that he eats "what I want". He explained: "I really try to look after myself, but if I see something I like, I’m really happy to have it. There are people who won’t eat a certain food, but not me. I’m happy to eat whatever they put in front of me."

Does Carlos Alcaraz have any secret favourite food?

During the interview, 20-year-old also revealed his favourite guilty pleasures. He said: "I’m not really into desserts or sweets, but when I’m in Murcia I do occasionally like to get my hamburgers, my pizzas... I really love that."