From the central labyrinth of Madrid’s Metro system and right down the Yellow number 3 line to San Fermin-Orcasur station, there’s simply no escaping the gaze of Carlos Alcaraz en route to ‘The Magic Box’.
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There’s even the rather apt sight of small children in a nearby infant school swishing imaginary rackets during playtime, shouting ‘Alcaraz’ as they imitate a famous drop shot and perhaps even dream of one day emulating Spain’s brightest tennis star.
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It’s a scene-setter that encapsulates the buzz around Alcaraz in his homeland right now.
His success and meteoric rise is nothing new, but his form in Spain is beginning to take the shape of Rafael Nadal-type dominance. The love for him, dare we say it, is almost developing into a love as strong and passionate as Beatlemania.
Or is that just clear hyperbole from a scribe who has had too much Spanish sun? Perhaps at this stage, but the tennis world has already fully embraced his genius and it feels like he is taking on wider cultural significance in his own country with each passing tournament.
Less than two weeks ago he defended the first title of his career with a comprehensive demolition of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Barcelona Open final and here, in Spain's capital city, he is the favourite to secure back-to-back Madrid titles in front of an even greater army of swooning supporters.
In terms of superlatives, there’s not much new one can say or type when it comes to describing the blur of pace, power and athleticism that is the phenomenon ‘Charlie’ Alcaraz – but everyone was very much in awe of it when glancing at spectators witnessing him in action for the very first time today.
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The contrast of genius and humility is also a winner with the crowds. The youngster continues to take everything in his stride with a cheeky smile and a genuine warmth to the way he conducts himself to fans and players alike.
It has created a perfect blend of ingredients to forge a highly successful Alcaraz brand and the adoration bestowed upon him on a swelteringly hot afternoon at La Caja Magica meant the venue was abuzz with anticipation several hours before the 19-year-old was due out on court inside Manolo Santana Stadium.
It’s not just vast swathes of his compatriots, both young and old, bewitched by his innate tennis talent and boyish, grinning charm. Real Madrid stars such as Vinicius Junior, Fede Valverde, Dani Ceballos and Rodrygo were all desperate to get a glimpse of the teenager as he beat Grigor Dimitrov earlier in the tournament, and more and more stars have been filling the VIP seats ever since.
In the absence of Novak Djokovic and Nadal, it is Alcaraz who has been the headline act in the Spanish capital by some distance - and he continues to live up to that billing.
No.10 seed Karen Khachanov gave it a real shot but he eventually succumbed to being the Spaniard's latest victim as he soared into the last four.
It wasn’t quite of the astonishing level that saw him tear Alexander Zverev to shreds, but after a big wobble in the second set, the teenager demonstrated fighting qualities Madrilenians have grown more than accustomed to seeing over the years when five-time champion Nadal has been in town.
This was Alcaraz’s last match as a teenager and he fittingly showed maturity that belies his years, fighting back from 5-2 down to reel off five games in a row and continue his bid for a third 2023 title on clay – and his fourth ATP title on home soil in a row.
The top seed turns 20 on Friday and could mark the big day by clocking up a 20th win on the spin in Spanish clay events, a stat that highlights the stunning rise he has enjoyed since celebrating his 18th birthday in defeat to Nadal in 2021.
The stats keep coming too. Alcaraz is now 17-1 on the red dirt this year and although he and his team continue to dampen expectations, he is beginning to develop into a favourite for the French Open in many people's eyes.
Nadal will no doubt hope to have a big say in that, but you can be sure that Alcaraz's incredible numbers are tangible evidence that he is rapidly emerging as the obvious contender to succeed the Mallorcan on his throne with a results-driven clay-court game that is beginning to convince people he could do the unthinkable and end the King of Clay’s Roland-Garros reign before injury or age mean he is ready to step away.
‘Alcaraz-mania' or 'Charlie-mania’ may not have the ring that fit with the craze coined for the 'Fab Four' from Liverpool, but Alcaraz's rock-star status means someone will have to come up with something much more worthy sooner rather than later as he continues to push men’s tennis towards a rapidly approaching new era.
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