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Carlos Alcaraz has his name down in the ATP record books already, having become the first ever teenager to rise to the World No. 1 spot last year. The Spaniard did so by lifting his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open, beating Casper Ruud in the final.
Alcaraz also managed to finish the year as the top-ranked men's tennis player, ahead of the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. He is currently ranked No. 2 and in good position of taking back the top spot, depending on how he fares at the ongoing Madrid Open.
But former World No. 1 Andy Roddick believes Carlos Alcaraz's inclusion in the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) debate already is a little premature. Roddick feels that conversation cannot happen for the next decade at least, thanks mainly to the accomplishments of the Big 3 of Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer.
"It’s not a given to be at his current level for the next 15-20 years. The Big-3 have made the conversation premature for the next decade," Roddick recently tweeted.
Between the three of them, Nadal, Djokovic and Federer have 64 Grand Slams and 102 Masters 1000 titles. Their success over the last two decades has left the rest of the field fighting for crumbs.
Interestingly, however, Andy Roddick also believes that Carlos Alcaraz is the "most complete" tennis player he has seen at the age of 19. The American recently opined that Alcaraz is better than the Big 3 were at the same age.
Roddick's comment understandably upset a lot of fans on social media, who lashed out at him. Roddick, however, held firm on his viewpoint, stating that Alcaraz does not have any apparent chinks in his armor yet.
At the same time, the American also admitted that it was impossible to predict where the teenager would stand in history by the end of his career.
"I’ll be sure to pump the brakes on giving my opinions… about tennis…. On TV ….. on a show that people watch for tennis coverage ….. there’s plenty of time ahead and not saying he will have the career they have. Simply, guy doesn’t have weaknesses right now. At 19, not sure," Roddick said.
Roddick also claimed that Alcaraz's mental toughness is second to none, hitting back at comments that he was not as mentally tough as someone like Nadal.
"So you’re predicting he’s not mentally tough? Has he shown anything so far that suggests he’s not mentally tough? Also you don’t think he’s expected to win? I appreciate you explaining pressure and expectation to me," Roddick said.
Carlos Alcaraz to take on Borna Coric in Madrid Open semifinals
Currently in the midst of his title defense at the 2023 Madrid Open, Carlos Alcaraz has reached the semifinals, where he will take on Borna Coric. Two wins in the next two matches will see Alcaraz complete the Barcelona-Madrid double for the second time in as many years.
Jan-Lennard Struff and Aslan Karatsev, meanwhile, will battle it out in the other semifinal on Friday. That would be a repeat of their clash from the qualifying rounds earlier this week, where Karatsev prevailed in straight sets.
Struff earned a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser, and he has made the most of his second chance.
