Carlos Alcaraz is often predicted to be the player to dominate the ATP Tour alongside Jannik Sinner in the post-big three era.
Alcaraz is currently competing in Rotterdam, and played Botic van de Zandschulp in the first round.
This enabled the Spaniard to enact revenge over his opponent, with Van de Zandschulp stunning Alcaraz at the US Open last year.
It was another tough match for the world number three, as Alcaraz has been battling a cold and as a result is sporting nose tape in Rotterdam.
However, after losing the second set Alcaraz was able to bounce back and win his debut match at the Rotterdam Open.
Alcaraz has won four major titles so far in his career, and was bidding to become the youngest man in history to achieve the Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open last month.
However, after Alcaraz was beaten by Novak Djokovic, he will have to put that bid on hold for at least another year.
When speaking about the 21-year-old on social media, the former coach of Serena Williams, Rick Macci, was full of praise for Alcaraz.
Macci has an eye for talent, having coached both the Williams sisters, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova and Jennifer Capriati, and he believes that Alcaraz will win at least 10 Grand Slam titles.
“Carlos is the most gifted player on tour,” Macci said on X (formerly known as Twitter). “He has all the shots. He runs like a deer and has no fear. When he locks in a little more and puts more returns back in Play Double Figure Grand Slams will come his Way.”
Only eight men in history have won 10 Grand Slam singles titles or more, with just six of those coming in the Open Era.
The aforementioned Djokovic leads this exclusive group with 24 majors to his name, with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer coming in closely behind.
Men’s players with double-digit Grand Slam titles | Number of major titles |
Novak Djokovic | 24 |
Rafael Nadal | 22 |
Roger Federer | 20 |
Pete Sampras | 14 |
Roy Emerson | 12 |
Bjorn Borg | 11 |
Rod Laver | 11 |
Bill Tilden | 10 |
Alcaraz and Sinner currently hold all the major titles, with the former winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon, while the latter has been victorious at the two hard court Grand Slams.
Having recently defended the Australian Open, Alcaraz backed Sinner as the best player in the world against some saying otherwise.
Macci, himself, has drawn comparison to the two players and claimed that Alcaraz is the most adventurous player in the world.
“The Spanish Magicians game is more adventurous than anybody,” Macci added. “His game has more risk and reward. He is a fearless shot maker and artist wrapped into one. You will most likely see more unforced errors and Winners than from Sinners.”
Despite only losing six matches in 2024, Sinner lost all three matches against Alcaraz with their most recent coming in the China Open final.
This final supports Macci’s point, with Alcaraz producing 55 winners compared to just 31 for the Italian, while also hitting 59 unforced errors in comparison to Sinner’s 46.
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