Carlos Alcaraz “plays like Federer, moves like Djokovic and is passionate like Nadal”, according to the analysis of a tennis legend like Mats Wilander, who does not miss an important match at Roland Garros.
Winner of nine Grand Slams, three of them in the country of Paris, the Swedish figure has nothing but praise for the young Spanish tennis player, whom he considers “a product of the generation” of the big three, as he brings the best of each of them and has an ‘incredible’ future, moreover ‘on every surface’.
“He has no weaknesses, maybe the service, but his service will improve with age, with work. For his 20 years old, he is complete, incredible,” Wilander continued in an interview with EFE between two matches on the Parisian clay court.
He acknowledges that he’s “amazed that someone hasn’t been this good before,” which has left the “big three” champions at the helm of world tennis for a long time.
“Stefanos Tsitsipas, for example, is not very good, but he plays a bit like Federer, he moves well, he gets involved like Nadal,” said Wilander, who, in addition to being a commentator for Eurosport and L’Équipe, conducts short on-court interviews with the main players after their matches.
In the one he did this Monday at Alcaraz, the Swede emphasized “the smile” that is always on the face of the Murcian and invited him to continue to convey the enthusiasm with which he plays tennis.
Wilander particularly emphasizes Alcaraz’s “incredible” mental strength, which is “the most important” of his qualities, and the support he receives from his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, a former ATP number one.
For this edition of Roland Garros, and with Rafael Nadal absent, he considers Alcaraz and Djokovic to be the big favourites, although “for Novak, you have to see him a few more games, because he hasn’t played much on clay this season”. .
Don’t forget that “Nole” is 36 years old, that his career crosses Alcaraz’s in the semifinals and that he has played little on clay this year, which made him believe that he had to find a way to save energy during the tournament. because there will be rivals who will be forced to play four-hour games.
“But it’s still a machine, an animal,” he warns.
“For me, Novak has to be the favorite in a way, because he has won here before. But if Carlos plays well, I don’t know if there is anyone who can beat him,” Mats Wilander sums up about his prognosis.
The Swedish legend laments the absence this year of Nadal, the king of the land of Roland Garros with 14 wins in 18 appearances: “It’s very sad. The best player in history on land is not playing.”
Wilander understands that Nadal, who has been in dry dock for several months due to muscle problems, “had to play a few tournaments” to be able to come to Paris to really challenge the victory.
Rafa “is almost superhuman, but he also needs matches,” he insists. Especially because “it is his legacy to always give 100%”, he emphasizes.
For this reason, he hopes to see him play at least “one more time” on the Paris courts before fulfilling his intention to retire from professional tennis after the 2024 season.
Source: El heraldo
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