How curious Labubu doll exchange between Carlos Alcaraz and Qinwen Zheng sparked debate ahead of Wimbledon Championships


Carlos Alcaraz is already taking centre court at Wimbledon ahead of the main draw, but it is not quite his tennis that those on social media are fixating on.
The Spaniard’s growing friendship with Emma Raducanu, with whom he will partner at the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles, has received plenty of attention for their “genuine connection.”

But the British player is not the only WTA star that Alcaraz has been befriending, as he was spotted sharing a gift with world No. 6 Qinwen Zheng.

The gift in question was a Labubu doll, a bizarre new fashion trend that sees fuzzy and fanged characters dangling from luxury bags and has taken social media by storm.

Labubus, sold by Chinese toy company Pop Mart, have exploded in popularity and rarer versions are selling for more than £1,000.

A human-sized Labubu sold for over $150,000 at a Chinese auction house several weeks ago, whilst customers have even been reported fighting over the dolls at UK stores.

Alcaraz was pictured holding one with Zheng as they met whilst training at Wimbledon.

The photos have gone viral on social media and whilst they initially suggest that Zheng gifted the doll to Alcaraz, many fans are speculating whether it was in fact the Spanish player who gave the Labubu.

Earlier in June, Alcaraz was spotted being given a Labubu by a fan in London, and it is possible that he decided to gift one to Zheng, or perhaps even the same one.

He was also spotted holding the doll with Zheng’s coach and fellow Spaniard Pere Riba, giving more weight to the suggestion that it was Zheng who gifted the doll.

In yet another encounter with a WTA player, Alcaraz was seen signing a racket for Canadian player Leylah Fernandez.

Unsurprisingly, Alcaraz’s interactions with WTA players gives rise to rumours and speculation, and Raducanu had to shut down that line of questioning last week when she said that her and Alcaraz were “just good friends” in response to their partnership.

The pair are both preparing for their Wimbledon singles matches, where Alcaraz is targeting a historic Wimbledon three-peat.

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