Tennis icon John McEnroe has heaped praise on Carlos Alcaraz, declaring the Spanish star the finest talent he’s witnessed at such a tender age. The world’s top-ranked player is at the peak of his powers, having recently won the US Open and regained his position at the summit of the rankings. He pulled ahead of Jannik Sinner following his victory over the Italian at Flushing Meadows.
Despite having just secured a sixth Grand Slam crown, the 22-year-old was so enthralled by the team atmosphere last year that he’s already returned to competition this weekend as the Laver Cup arrives in San Francisco. Alcaraz is competing for Team Europe against Team World.
“I’ve watched tennis for 50 years, you know, longer in a way, and obviously we went through a period,” began McEnroe.
“I mean, I idolised Rod [Laver], I just said that I got to play against Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, my three greatest rivals.
“Along came these nobodies, what’s their name? [Boris] Becker, [Stefan] Edberg, [Andre] Agassi, [Pete] Sampras. You’re like: ‘Oh my god, this is amazing!’.
“And then to top it off, you get Roger [Federer], Rafa [Nadal] and Novak [Djokovic], and you’re like: ‘I’m looking at the three greatest players that ever lived’.
“And suddenly, somehow, along comes this other guy from Spain. I remember seeing him, he was probably 17: ‘Hey, this guy’s got some talent. That guy is pretty quick out there’.
“Never in my wildest dreams… I’ll tell you, of all the players I’ve ever watched, at this age, I’ve never seen a player this good, this complete the last two or three years.
“And with that damn smile that you have! I’m very jealous of that, okay.”
When asked about Alcaraz’s new blonde look, McEnroe responded: “Well, the blond hair is… I don’t know about that one.
“Whatever he wants, I’m happy with. Thank God for Carlos Alcaraz, what he’s bringing to the table.”
To be the first to receive the latest tennis news, join our WhatsApp community or newsletter.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk