“So tragic” – Carlos Alcaraz & Martina Navratilova join Rafael Nadal in grieving over Liverpool star Diogo Jota’s death

Carlos Alcaraz and tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Rafael Nadal poured in condolences for Liverpool’s Portuguese forward Diogo Jota and his brother, who lost their lives in a fatal car crash this morning. The tragedy hit the family just 10 days after Jota married his long-time lover, Rute Cardoso. The couple also shared three children, the youngest of whom was born last December.

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Amid the Wimbledon run, Diogo Jota’s untimely death sent shockwaves through the global sports community. Alcaraz, the reigning French Open champion, who advanced to the Wimbledon third round after defeating Oliver Tarvet, shared the news of Jota and his brother’s passing in his Instagram story.

“Rest in peace Diogo and Andre. My sincere condolences to your loved ones”

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"So tragic… RIP Diogo… and Andre"

Nadal, better known as 'King of Clay', previously grieved the tragic death of Jota, sharing a heartfelt post on his X, reading:

"What a sad & and painful news. All my love, affection, and support to his wife, children, family, and friends during such a difficult time. Rest in Peace, Diogo Jota and André Silva."

Jota was part of the Liverpool squad that won the English Premier League in the 2024-25 season. He also won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025, representing Portugal. The late 28-year-old is survived by his wife, Rute Cardoso, and three children, two boys and a daughter.

Carlos Alcaraz weighed in on his fiercest rival's decision to part ways with two of his team members ahead of Wimbledon

Since Jannik Sinner's doping controversy, he parted ways with trainer Umberto Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi, since the World No.1 wished to avoid any further casualties. However, as per recent news, he bid goodbye to fitness trainer, Marco Panichi, and his physio, Ulises Badio, both of whom joined the Italian's team in September 2024.

Carlos Alcaraz, who faced Sinner in one of the most high-energy finals at the 2025 French Open, shares a good relationship with his rival. Despite that, he revealed that taking a similar decision would be tougher for him.

"I think the ATP has good physios that can take care of the players. A lot of players are traveling without physios and without the fitness coach. Talking about myself, I’ve been with them since a long time ago. Right now I don’t see myself traveling without the physio or fitness coach. I built a really good relationship with both. They know my body even better than myself. For me, it would be tough.”

Carlos Alcaraz won his first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open and capped the year as the top-ranked player. His feat made him the youngest year-end No. 1 in ATP ranking history and earned him the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year.

The 22-year-old will face German Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round at Wimbledon, aiming for his second major title this season.

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About the author

Agnijeeta Majumder

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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