Carlos Alcaraz has splashed out on a multi-million pound super yacht, following in the footsteps of fellow Spaniard and idol, Rafael Nadal. The world No.1 has taken the world of tennis by storm in the last five years or so and has decided to spend some of his hard-earned prize money on a Sunreef Ultima 88 catamaran.

The vessels are typically reserved for the rich and famous, with Alcaraz’s specific yacht reportedly under construction at a shipyard in Gdansk, Poland. Not only that, but Alcaraz is set to join Sunreef Ultima as a brand ambassador, as well as becoming a yacht owner himself.

The partnership was announced at the Palm Beach International Boat Show, with Alcaraz explaining his decision to spend big on the vessel. He told SuperYacht Times: “I think it was two years ago when I realised how beautiful it is and how comfortable I feel every time I’m on a boat.

“Living in Murcia, it’s really easy for me because we have good weather the whole year and the sea is very close to home. For two years now, I’ve felt like I really wanted to be an owner.”

Alcaraz went on to explain that his first experience of a Sunreef yacht came via Nadal, who is also the owner of a custom catamaran. He added: I’ve always loved boats and the sea, but I’ve never really been into brands. The first time I realised about Sunreef was because of Rafa. He mentioned it a few times, so I got to know the brand a little bit because of him.”

But what about the cost? Well, that’s what sets these boats apart from others, given estimations have their price between £4.1million and £6.8m. By no means a cheap investment, with F1 driver Fernando Alonso and footballer Robert Lewandowski also among those to own Sunreef.

On his motivation for the purchase, Alcaraz said: “My schedule is really tight, so for me the main reason is to relax and have a place to turn off my mind and be apart from tennis. Summer trips whenever I can, or just a few days around home. That’s my plan right now.

“As athletes we expose ourselves all the time to people, to pressure and to thousands of eyes watching us. We understand what we need. Being on a boat gives that place to relax and just enjoy with close people, without thinking about anything else.”