Carlos Alcaraz ‘rewriting tennis history’ claims six-time Grand Slam champion
Carlos Alcaraz ‘plays tennis differently’ according to former No.1 Boris Becker, who claims the Spaniard has even more ‘punch’ than Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz had a very successful 2022, winning the US Open and two Masters 1000 titles, and has continued that into this year with the 20-year-old set to regain the No.1 ranking after the Italian Open.
The Spaniard knows that he just needs to take to the court against Albert Ramos-Vinolas tomorrow in Rome later today, as Djokovic cannot gain any points as defending champion.
When it's your first time at a tournament 😄@carlosalcaraz #IBI23 pic.twitter.com/1yM16svZna
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 11, 2023
Becker has spoken about what ‘impresses’ him most about Alcaraz, “Carlos plays tennis very differently. What impresses me the most is his powerful style of play. When he hits his forehand with full topspin, there’s no grass anymore.”
“Whoever dares take on a rally against him has lost anyway. We used to say that about Nadal and Djokovic. But Alcaraz has even more punch and even more topspin in his shots. That’s why he’s rewriting tennis history.”
Alcaraz missed the end of last year and the start of 2023, including the Australian Open, through injury and Becker revealed his ‘surprise’ that he has returned in the same form as he ended the season.
“I am fascinated by the fact that he is playing the way he is playing this year. It’s hard enough to get into the tennis scene and win your first tournaments. Now it surprised me that after a winter of injuries he continues to play tennis exactly where he left off – with absolute world-class performances,” claimed Becker.
The German added, “For me, this is a sign that he will stay there, that he is a player who can and wants to continue winning big tournaments. If he stays healthy, he’s always a contender for a Grand Slam win for the next 10 years.”
Becker suggested that the only thing that will stop Alcaraz competing for Grand Slam titles is injuries and/or lack of desire, “He would have the talent and the appetite for it. But so many things can go wrong. He can get injured or lose the will once he has won everything three or four times.”
He continued, “My wish is that he doesn’t lose the desire and the mood for our wonderful sport and that we’ll still be talking about Carlos Alcaraz in 15 years’ time.”
However, Alcaraz has recently silenced any potential of him losing motivation, “I’m not afraid, I’m a very ambitious boy who doesn’t want to lose even the marbles.”
“I think I’m not going to get tired of tennis, I’m not afraid of this, I just live from day to day and I love playing tennis, I’m a winning guy, so I’m not afraid that one day I’ll get tired of winning. I know that’s not going to happen.”
Carlos Alcaraz and his record in 2023
Alcaraz has only lost two matches all year, and is undefeated on the European clay with Roland Garros on the horizon.
Here are Alcaraz’s performance statistics from 2023 so far:
Win-loss record in 2023: 29-2
Alcaraz’s only defeats in 2023:
- Cameron Norrie beat Alcaraz, 5-7 6-4 7-5 (Rio Open final)
- Jannik Sinner beat Alcaraz, 6(4)-7 6-4 6-3 (Miami Open semi-final)
Carlos Alcaraz ATP titles in 2023: 4 (Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid)
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