Carlos Alcaraz is a winner once again after claiming the Monte Carlo Masters crown by beating Lorenzo Musetti.
The Spaniard took some time to find his form and lost the first set 6-3, with Musetti showcasing exactly the sort of tennis that had seen him reach the final in the first place.
But, an Alcaraz purple patch is never too far away – especially on the clay – and he romped through the next two sets to the loss of just one game, blowing Musetti away.
The 21-year-old has already won four majors and although he couldn’t complete the career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open in January, the future feels very bright.
In the aftermath of the big three, the sport will need another clutch of stars to try and beat the records set by the trio of legends, and Alcaraz already looks like a player capable of producing the goods for many years to come.
Rick Macci thinks Carlos Alcaraz has transformed tennis
It used to be Roger Federer who dominated the tennis headlines when it came to playing outrageous shots on a tennis court.
However, Macci believes that Alcaraz has transformed the game even more than the Swiss maestro did with a shot that he feels everyone is trying to copy.
Before his final earlier on Sunday, he posted on X: “Nobody has changed the game like the Spanish Magician. He has modified the way it’s played at every level and taught by every coach. When the leader in the clubhouse shows the world it’s now OK to use the risky dropper more are practising it out of the hopper.”
Alcaraz has proved a special player already and at 21-years-old, it’s quite scary to think just how good he could become on the ATP circuit in the years to come.
Alcaraz could beat Roger Federer’s record of Grand Slam titles
No disrespect to Federer but Alcaraz does look well on course to beat Federer’s record of major honours with four on the board already.
Alcaraz is unlikely to have the same level of competition that Federer has, with Sinner likely to be the main opposition over the coming years when it comes to the number of majors he’s likely to win.
Macci is right to hail Alcaraz for his sublime drop shot. It’s quite remarkable how he managed to seemingly get the ball turning sideways at times, with the clay the perfect surface for him to experiment on.
Alcaraz is only 20 and he’s already got a fifth of the Grand Slam titles that Federer won, with more undoubtedly set to follow in the years to come.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
