"I was just blown away by his intensity" - Monica Seles heaps praise on Carlos Alcaraz
ATP
Carlos Alcaraz has received plenty of praise from former world number one Monica Seles after the Spanish player rose up the ranks in 2022.
Alcaraz finished the 2022 season top of the men's ATP rankings following a stellar year. He started the season ranked 32nd in the world and impressed with a quarter-final run at the French Open before winning the US Open in September, where he beat Casper Ruud in four sets.
Seles was particularly impressed with the way Alcaraz showed maturity and she praised the Spanish star's mental toughness when facing some of the world's best last year.
"The way he played in 2022… I’ve had a chance to watch him play in person at the Indian Wells tournament against Rafael Nadal and I was just blown away by his intensity and also how focused he was for being such a young age – and he was playing somebody that’s probably the most focused player our sport has had in Nadal.”- Monica Seles on Alcarez
On the way to his first Grand Slam win at the 2022 US Open, Alcaraz faced some tough opponents and went through some enduring matches. The 20-year-old faced Marin Cilic, Jannik Sinner and Frances Tiafoe in the latter rounds and eventually beat all three in five sets.
Seles believes the way Alcaraz handled these competitive matches showed his quality and focus which could lead to a strong career.
"And then you know, followed him throughout the summer and then when he came to New York to play at the US Open, when he went all the way. I mean, it was just so impressive for somebody to have that mental strength, that physical strength in those long matches, the late matches at the US Open. And he just handled it with such ease. Like he is used to this, like he has done this before."
After missing out on the Australian Open with a leg injury, Alcaraz returned to action at the Argentina Open last week and won the competition with a two-set win against Cameron Norrie in the final.
