Carlos Alcaraz will be one of the most anticipated players when the 2023 Australian Open kicks off. The 19-year-old Spaniard wowed everyone in 2022, winning the US Open and becoming the youngest number 1 in men’s tennis history.
As if that were not enough, the Murcian also won two Masters 1000 (Miami and Madrid) and as many ATP 500 (Rio and Barcelona). Juan Carlos Ferrero’s protégé graced his season by defeating two holy monsters in Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the Mutua Madrid Open, yet another testimonial to his enormous potential.
Some physical problems prevented ‘Carlitos’ from expressing himself to the fullest in the last part of the season, forcing him to miss the ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup in Malaga. The Iberian is working hard to get in shape and will not participate in any official tournament before the Australian Open.
In the latest edition of the podcast hosted by Craig Shapiro, former ATP number 6 Nicolás Lapentti analyzed Alcaraz’s prospects in detail.
Lapentti praises Alcaraz
Retired since 2011 and a former 6th player in the world, Nicolás Lapentti recently spoke on Craig Shapiro’s podcast about the future of Carlos Alcaraz, who is constantly compared to Big 3 members like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
And for the Ecuadorian, if Carlitos wants to join them in the pecking order, he’s absolutely going to have to stay healthy. “The big question is whether he (Carlos Alcaraz) will be able to win as many Grand Slams as these three guys (Nadal, Federer and Djokovic).
Everything will depend on your health. Will he be able to stay healthy for the next 15 to 18 years? We never know. Can he stay mentally strong for the next 15 years? She’s crazy, but we’ll see. We’ll have to talk about it again in ten years to see how it goes.
Alcaraz has it all, that’s for sure. Being 19 years old and playing at the level he plays. It’s mainly in the head to play under this pressure and be so efficient, it’s great.» Tennis commentator Robbie Koenig recalled his first impressions of Carlos Alcaraz and expressed his surprise at how quickly he rose to the top.
«My Luke had played Lorenzo Musetti and I commented on him in the junior Australian Open final. I was talking about how good Lorenzo was as a junior and he (Luke) says: ‘He’s good, but I’m telling you I’m practicing with this another guy in Spain, Carlos Alcaraz, and this guy is even better.’ »
