Carlos Alcaraz pulled off soccer star Neymar Jr.’s signature celebration after his second-round win at the 2024 Paris Masters. The celebration involved the Spaniard sticking out his tongue with hands on either side of the head.

Following his quarterfinal exit at the Shanghai Masters, Alcaraz commenced his campaign in Paris with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Nicolas Jarry on Tuesday, October 29. The World No. 2 had to win the opening set the hard way despite taking an early 3-0 lead. The following set was straightforward, with Alcaraz closing it down after seven games.

Alcaraz, who often emulates famous soccer stars’ celebrations, copied Neymar Jr. this time around. The Spaniard signed a victory message on the courtside camera after which he performed the celebration.

Here’s a video of Alcaraz channeling his inner Neymar Jr.:

Neymar Jr. has showcased several iconic celebrations on the field, significantly influencing many young athletes to copy them. The celebration that Alcaraz mimicked was used by Neymar to provoke his critics and was majorly performed during his time at the French club Paris Saint Germain.

This is not the first time Alcaraz has referenced a soccer star while signing the victory message. Following his third-round win against Wu Yibing at the 2024 Shanghai Masters, Alcaraz wrote “SIUUU” on the courtside camera referring to Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic celebration.

Carlos Alcaraz’s 2R win over Nicolas Jarry marked his first victory in two years at the Paris Masters

Carlos Alcaraz had been winless for two years at the Paris Masters until he defeated Nicolas Jarry on Tuesday. The Spaniard lost to Roman Safiullin, 3-6, 4-6, in his opener last time around. His previous win came back in 2022 when he got the better of Grigor Dimitrov, 6-1, 6-3 in the third round.

Following his win over Jarry, Alcaraz stated that it was a “gift” for him as long as he continued his run in the competition.

“It’s been two years since I have won a match here in Paris-Bercy, so everytime that I keep going is a gift for me,” Alcaraz said as per ATPTour.com.

The former World No. 1 expressed delight in getting through after a “complicated” first set.

“I think I played really good tennis, but at the end it was complicated. I’m just really happy to get through the opening set, it was really important for me to come into the second with more confidence. I [needed] time to get used to the speed of the court,” the Spaniard stated.

Carlos Alcaraz will face either Ugo Humbert or Marcos Giron in the third round on Thursday, October 31.