Carlos Alcaraz, despite being quite comfortably the youngest first-choice player in the entire competition, has just spearheaded Team Europe to victory at the Laver Cup.
It is the latest in a long line of triumphs for the Spaniard, who continues to cement his legacy within the sport.
A legendary figure who stands at the pinnacle of tennis despite currently being ranked third in the world, the traits he boasts are enough to make even the greatest players jealous.
With Andy Roddick, that’s exactly what’s occurred.
Andy Roddick admits he’s jealous of Carlos Alcaraz
It’s no surprise that Roddick finds himself envying traits that Carlos Alcaraz boasts, considering the Spaniard has already surpassed what he and most others of his era managed.
And, that feat is made all the more impressive given that Novak Djokovic was still very much around and thriving during this period too.
In fact, speaking to Tennis Channel, he outlined the one trait that the 21-year-old shares with Djokovic, as well as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, which he truly envies.
Roddick noted: ‘I think one of the things that we don’t give enough credit to Alcaraz for is, do you remember at Wimbledon when he was serving for the title? Lost his serve and then played a brilliant breaker? Today he was in full flight against Taylor Fritz, again gets broken, the momentum seems to shift.
‘I envy the delete button that a lot of these greats have. Roger had it. Rafa has it. Novak gets mad and then has it. It’s something that lives in them where they’re up to shoot the next shot even if they’ve missed the last three.
‘That’s what separates them. Always playing your shot on your terms. That delete button, he’s acting like he didn’t just get broken after cruising. Didn’t get broken after having the chance to go up two breaks. And he just pulls it out, this kid at 21 years old. Listen, he’s smarter than the rest of us.’
Carlos Alcaraz is already a tennis legend
Despite being so young, already what he has accomplished will see his feats lauded for many years to come, and many years following his retirement in the distant future.
After all, even if he were to stop playing tomorrow, already he has eclipsed what so many legends of the sport have managed, making his achievements even more impressive.
And yet, he remains supremely humble too, with Alcaraz keen to distance himself from Federer comparisons.
Four Grand Slam titles barely scratch the surface of his superiority over this current generation, having already gone toe-to-toe with Djokovic in a way few others ever managed.
It’s indicative of his excellence that figures like Roddick, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Arthur Ashe all already have fewer major titles than Alcaraz.
It’s scary to think how much further he will improve his legacy upon his retirement in well over a decade.
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