"Carlos Alcaraz is smiling all the time, it's rubbing off on other players" - Jill Craybas

Former WTA player Jill Craybas believes World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz's constant smile rubs off on other tour players.

Alcaraz has established himself as one of the best tennis players of this generation. The World No.1 leads the pack in 2023 with a 53-6 win-loss record and six titles, including Wimbledon and the Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Indian Wells.

The Spaniard, who defeated Novak Djokovic in a gruelling five-set match at Wimbledon, will aim to become the first man to win the US Open twice in a row since Roger Federer in 2007 and 2008.

Before Carlos Alcaraz could begin his campaign at Flushing Meadows, former WTA player Jill Craybas spoke about the former on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast. She stated that what the audience perceives as a risky shot for the youngster is nothing more than a cakewalk for him because he has been tackling these shots since he was a child.

"What we view as a risk of him, it's not a risk for him because he has been doing it his whole life. He has done it in practice, he has done it since he was 10-11 years old. So to him, it's not even a risky moment," Craybas said.

The American added that Carlos Alcaraz's always-smiling face on the court rubs off on other players. Craybas also added that the World No. 1 enjoys being in difficult situations on the field and overcoming them with his tennis skills.

"And yes he is smiling all the time, I mean it's rubbing off on other players. He honestly loves being in the moment and I think that goes a long way to being a top player as being able to embrace that challenge and actually want to be in those tough moments. And he looks like he wants to be there all the time," Craybas said.

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Carlos Alcaraz's World No.1 ranking will be at stake in the US Open 2023

Carlos Alcaraz pictured at Cincinnati.

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have been battling it out for the World No.1 ranking all year, with the Spaniard holding that position going into the final Grand Slam of 2023.

However, it appears that he will be dethroned by his great rival, with the Serb set to reclaim the top spot if he wins his first-round match against Frenchman Alexandre Muller on Monday.

With Alcaraz defending 2,000 ranking points from his US Open victory last year and Djokovic defending none, the 23-time Grand Slam champion has a fairly easy path back to the top of the ATP Rankings.