Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz has become the new superstar of tennis, but recently his game has been mired by extreme inconsistency. But, that doesn’t seem to disturb tennis great Mats Wilander, who likens the 20-year-old to Roger Federer.
For context, this week, Alcaraz dropped from the Top-2 position for the first time since winning the 2022 US Open. He was seen as a favorite to claim the Sunshine Doubles after winning the Indian Wells Masters. But the fragility of his game was exposed against Grigor Dimitrov, who finely defeated him.
This is not the first time the youngster failed to maintain a solid position in his career. Last year, after Novak Djokovic had won the US Open, he skipped several tournaments allowing Alcaraz, who had slipped from No.1 position to No.2, to regain his position. But poor performances let the young Spaniard down.
However, Wilander feels it is this inconsistency and unpredictability of Alcaraz that will lead to him being one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Like a certain Swiss player who produced nearly 15 consistent years of top performance that saw him become the first men’s player to win 20 Grand Slams.
When I see Carlos Alcaraz play tennis, it reminds me so much of the great Roger Federer. Again, I normally call him [Federer] the greatest player of all time, and that has nothing to do with the statistics or the results. It has to do with what he meant for the sport, the expectations that people had. Carlos Alcaraz is going through the same thing. I think Carlos Alcaraz could become the second most important tennis player to ever play our sport because of what he brings to the court. said Mats Wilander via Eurosport
Meanwhile, despite a poor start of the season for Alcaraz, he kicked form at the Indian Wells Masters and is hopeful he can maintain it as he heads for the Monte Carlo Masters.
Carlos Alcaraz likely to face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters
Putting behind the recent Miami Open’s quarterfinal loss, the 20-year-old will now head to the clay season. Alcaraz will likely meet Djokovic in the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters following tournament’s draw yesterday. The Spanish star who didn’t compete last year would be making his second appearance at the tournament.
He will be hoping to put behind his 2022 outing where he crashed out in the second round. The third seed this time around will face either Felix Augar-Alliassime or a qualifier in the second round. He will then meet French Ugo Humbert in the third round and Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals, if all goes smoothly for him.
Djokovic may be awaiting him in the semifinals, but, Alcaraz will be looking forward to better his record against the out-of-form Serbian. Nole currently leads 3-2 in the head-to-head.
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