Carlos Alcaraz has taken the tennis world by storm in recent years, with the 21-year-old enjoying huge success in his brief career so far.
The youngster headed into the French Open with two Grand Slam wins to his name, the first of which arrived at the 2022 US Open.
But his versatility was on show the following year, with the Spaniard backing up his hard-court win with a grass victory at Wimbledon 2023.
Alcaraz’s talent on clay is also evident, with the world number three explaining that his game suits that surface very well.
His five-set win over Alexander Zverev today, now means that he is one of very few active players with three grand slams to their name.
Regardless of the surface, the Spanish star is a force to be reckoned with, and will be in and around the top for quite some time yet.
John McEnroe shares Carlos Alcaraz and Roger Federer verdict
Importantly, Alcaraz is not lacking in confidence, and aims to surpass the ‘almost impossible’ 24 majors that Novak Djokovic has won.
Djokovic, Rafael Nadal (22) and Roger Federer (20) lead the way in terms of men’s Grand Slams, but fellow legend John McEnroe does not believe any of the icons were better than Alcaraz aged 21 after he defeated world number one Jannik Sinner in the French Open semi-final.
“Carlos Alcaraz is my favourite player to watch,” McEnroe said on Eurosport. “He’s the most skilled young man I’ve ever seen playing at this age.
“It’s hard to imagine that he can keep improving because he’s so good at everything already. But he’s better than Federer, Nadal and Djokovic at 21 to me. It’s amazing.
“But the biggest thing is his smile that he brings to the court, that joy of competing, which is so hard to be able to do, to enjoy it while you’re stressing out at the same time.
“Look at Sinner. Did he look like he was loving every second of it? No, but Alcaraz is just a unique individual that we need around this sport for a long time.
“You have to love what he brings to the court. I think the crowd is going to lean pretty heavily on his side… look at this kid, it’s just amazing. Please stay healthy, please stay healthy.”
Can Carlos Alcaraz reach the all-time men’s greats?
As mentioned, the star trio of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer top the charts, having battled it out on the courts for several years.
The Serb and the Spaniard can, of course, extend their superb tallies, but the Swiss opted to retire in 2022.
It remains to be seen, however, how long both Djokovic and Nadal will wait to follow in Federer’s footsteps.
The Serbian was forced to withdraw from the French Open due to a knee injury, with the Spanish veteran having more than likely played for the last time at Roland Garros after his early exit this time around.
Alcaraz will, of course, respect and admire the careers of all three, but will be constantly plotting to surpass them as the years go on.
He is already ahead of them in one key area, having become the first player in the Open Era to win Grand Slam finals on hard, grass and clay courts before turning 22.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
