'A Lot To Improve': Alcaraz Told He's 'Still Playing Like Young Player'
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Carlos Alcaraz is not yet a complete player, despite many claiming the opposite, according to former ATP player Jeremy Chardy.
The 21-year-old Spaniard is one of the most accomplished 21-year-olds in the history of the sport. He has already won 16 ATP Tour-level titles, out of which four were majors and five were at the Masters events.
He also spent 36 weeks as the highest-ranked player on the men's Tour, and because of all of those achievements and his flashy tennis, it's not a surprise that many called him a complete player.
It wasn't just pundits or former players giving him such high praise, but also the likes of Novak Djokovic. Recently, Pat Cash joined the list of people calling the Spaniard a complete player, but another former player, Jeremy Chardy, disagreed.
Talking in the same interview for Tennis365, the 37-year-old Frenchman explained that Alcaraz still has a lot to improve and that he will become an even more complete player in a few years, as logically, it doesn't make sense to call someone complete at 21, given they still have so much time to improve.
"I still think Carlos has a lot to improve. He is still playing like a young player still. He is going for everything and he has that energy, but I still feel there is more to come."
"When you see him in a couple of years, you will see a more complete player and that is exciting. What he has done already is amazing when you consider his age, but you would not say a player is complete at the age of 21."
Chary also spoke about Alcaraz's rivalry with Jannik Sinner. The two have met ten times already on the ATP Tour, with the Spaniard winning six of those matches.
Alcaraz also has more Grand Slams as of now, as he collected four major trophies compared to the Italian's two. Although the retired French player is happy about their rivalry, as he thinks it's great for the sport, he wouldn't compare it to the Big Three yet.
The Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, have won a total of 66 Grand Slam titles together and held the World No. 1 spot for a total of 947 weeks. Alcaraz's and Sinner's six majors and 62 weeks at the World No. 1 rank are very far from those numbers at the moment.
"We are lucky in tennis to have these two young players in Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner who can bring so much to the sport in the next few years."
"Sinner has been amazing this year, but it is too early to say they can be compared to the ‘Big 3’. It’s still very early in the career for Sinner and Alcaraz so in a few years, maybe we can start to compare."
But both will be eager to extend their legacy already in the coming weeks. Sinner continues to collect weeks as the World No. 1 player, while Alcaraz will be one of the top two favorites to win the 2025 Australian Open.
