Carlos Alcaraz is only 20, but his swashbuckling tennis style has won him many admirers.
Following his commanding straight sets win over compatriot Roberto Carballes Baena to kick off his 2024 Miami Open, Alcaraz received special praise from former world No. 1 Andy Murray, who took to X to share his immediate reaction to that masterful performance.
"Watching Alcaraz play tennis makes me smile," Murray wrote on his official x account (formerly Twitter), to which a grateful Alcaraz responded on the same platform, "Andy!! THANKS MAN!"
This is not the first time that Murray has raved about Alcaraz's style or performance. Two weeks ago, he was invited to the Tennis Channel desk and quizzed to name the players he loved watching. He quickly singled out Alcaraz as one of them due to the variation in his game.
It didn't take long before another former World No. 1, Andy Roddick, jumped on that bandwagon when he was interviewed on Tennis Channel. Roddick said that Alcaraz can do things that no one else can.
"It makes me smile too. He's able to do things on the court that no one else can do. That turning the offense into the defense, his body is just electric. The power off the forehand side mixed with the drop shot and and the joy that he's playing with."
With two Grand Slams in his trophy cabinet, Alcaraz is tipped to win a minimum of eight to 10 majors by Roddick, who believes that several critics have been harsh in magnifying the Spaniard's recent title drought. Roddick explained that Alcaraz has raised the bar so high that a drop in performance levels will always attract attention.
"He's kind of a victim of his own shadow already, where if he doesn't play great, we're like, 'Oh, what's happening with Carlos Alcaraz?'. Let's all calm down. Let's take the temperature. This guy is going to win 8 to 10 majors, minimum. He's still so young and can do everything. It's just so much fun to watch him play. Fully agree with Murray."
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