John McEnroe reveals why he ‘fears’ for Carlos Alcaraz as he battles his big flaw
Carlos Alcaraz has already achieved more than most greats in tennis history after claiming four Grand Slam titles at the tender age of 21, but John McEnroe admits the young Spaniard will face a tough task to continue his success at the top of the men’s game.
Alcaraz added the French Open to his collection of titles this year and then went on to defend his Wimbledon title with a crushing win over Novak Djokovic in the final at the All England Club.
The Spaniard then admitted he was suffering from burnout as he crashed out of the US Open after a defeat against Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.
Alcaraz bounced back from that setback with some impressive performances in the final weeks of the year, with tennis legend McEnroe suggesting the 21-year-old is a phenomenon who will continue to win Grand Slam trophies for years to come.
When during an appearance on Andy Roddick’s Served podcast, McEnroe suggested the height advantage some of his rivals have over him may be a concern as he looks to maintain his position at the top of the game.
World No 1 Jannik Sinner and top ten rivals Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev all have a height advantage over Alcaraz and McEnroe suggested that may allow them to overpower him on days when he is not at his best.
“This guy is the greatest talent I’ve seen in the last 20 years and he is the best to watch,” said McEnroe.
“You look a the guys (his rivals) and they are all so tall… do they have the explosive speed of Alcaraz? No, but I worry that because he is only six feet and a half an inch tall, they are going to drive him absolutely nuts.
“He’s going to play these guys that serve out of a mountain and (Alcaraz) will get frustrated. This is what happened at the end of last year and it happened on a handful of occasions.
“I hope that I’m wrong about Alcaraz and that he is not going to be able to keep this up.
“I still think he is going to get ten of them (Grand Slams), which would be unbelievable!”
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McEnroe spoke to Tennis365 about Alcaraz in August, as he suggested the young Spaniard has broiught a joy to tennis that has taken the sport to the next level.
“Alcaraz is my favourite player to watch right now. He can do everything and he does it all so well. It seems almost impossible that he would be that positive every week, that he can win as often as he does at that age,” McEnroe told us.
“The smile, everything about him, it’s hard to believe he doesn’t get frustrated in a sport that is as frustrating as tennis is. Trust me, I know what it’s like to get frustrated in tennis!
“Doing what he did in Paris, playing as amazing as he did at Wimbledon, getting to the gold medal match Olympics and playing an amazing match against Novak.
“He’s already better than Federer, Nadal and Djokovic at 21.
“I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again for the record. Carlos Alcaraz is my favourite player to watch.
“He’s the most skilled young man I’ve ever seen at this age. It’s hard to believe he can keep improving improve as he is already so good at everything.
“The biggest thing he brings to the court is that smile. The joy he brings to the court to compete for everything. That is so hard to be able to do. Enjoy it while you are stressing out.
“Alcaraz is a unique individual and you’ve got to love what he brings to our sport. Don’t get injured Carlos!”
