John McEnroe continued to heap praise on Carlos Alcaraz at the Laver Cup and suggested he could inspire a revolution in the game.
Alcaraz starred for Team Europe in the Laver Cup as they raced to a 3-1 lead over Team World in San Francisco.
The Spaniard teamed with Jakub Mensik in a winning doubles effort against Taylor Fritz and Alex Michelsen.
McEnroe praised Alcaraz during the first day of the tournament and suggested the big change he’ll make to tennis in the long term.
John McEnroe says young players are going to emulate Carlos Alcaraz’s style
McEnroe compared Alcaraz with some of the biggest stars in tennis and suggested he’s already on the level of some of the greats.
“I’ve watched tennis for 50 years,” said McEnroe. “I idolised Rod [Laver], I got to play against Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl: my three greatest rivals.
“Along came these nobodies, what’s their names? Becker, Edberg, Agassi, Sampras, you’re like: ‘Oh my god, this is amazing!’ And then to top it off, you get Roger, Rafa, and Novak.
“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. He’s pretty quick out there’,” added McEnroe.
“I never in my wildest dreams. I’ll tell you, of all the players I’ve ever watched, I’ve never seen a player this good, this complete,” he continued.
McEnroe turned his attention toward Alcaraz’s recent run and said it could inspire the future generations of tennis stars.
“The last two or three years, and with that damn smile that you have, I’m very jealous of that. Thank god for Carlos Alcaraz. What he’s bringing to the table. I have a tennis academy.
“The last 15 years, and you know, the young kids, they always want to emulate the big boys. And I’m hoping that they’re going to look at Carlos and what he does and how he loves to be aggressive and move forward because we lost a lot of that.
“You don’t see the volleying that much, but I think that’s going to change because of him. So, you talk about a breath of fresh air when we desperately needed it.”
McEnroe acted as Team World’s Laver Cup captain from 2017 to 2024, before being replaced by Andre Agassi.
Carlos Alcaraz picked up his second doubles win in the Laver Cup
Alcaraz’s debut year at the Laver Cup in 2024 saw him team up with two different partners in the tournament.
The star lost alongside Alexander Zverev to Fritz and Ben Shelton, before picking up a win with Casper Ruud against Shelton and Frances Tiafoe.
The Spaniard’s latest win at the Laver Cup is his fourth overall and the ninth point he’s earned for Team Europe since 2024.
Alcaraz is expected to feature heavily in the 2025 Laver Cup as the week continues at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
