"If you told me in five years that Carlos Alcaraz had only one slam, I would be absolutely shocked" - Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert

Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert recently said that he would be absolutely shocked if Carlos Alcaraz did not win another Grand Slam title in the next five years.

Alcaraz has made a name for himself already, having won seven ATP singles titles as well as a Grand Slam (the 2022 US Open). He also became the youngest men's World No. 1 tennis player in history last year.

Alcaraz is widely regarded as the next big thing in tennis and is frequently compared to his legendary compatriot, the 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.

Brad Gilbert recently spoke with Vogue about Carlos Alcaraz, where he said he wouldn't be surprised if the young Spaniard won six or seven Slam titles in the next five years. The American coach also asserted it would be highly surprising if Alcaraz didn't win a single one.

"If you told me five years from now that he’d won six or seven Slams, I wouldn’t be surprised at all," Gilbert said.

"Maybe it’s 10, maybe it’s less. Obviously a big factor, too, is luck—injuries. He plays so physical. But if you told me in five years that he had only one Slam, I would be absolutely shocked," he added.

The former tennis pro went on to say that people enjoy watching Alcaraz play because he is so "exciting" to watch and "transcends" the sport.

"He transcends wherever he’s playing," Gilbert said. "People everywhere want to root for him because he’s so exciting to watch."

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"I had a bad period after I won the US Open" - Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz pictured at the 2022 BNP Paribas Open

Carlos Alcaraz also spoke with Vogue about his "bad period" on the tour, which came, surprisingly, after he won the 2022 US Open.

The promising young player admitted that while he "enjoyed" winning his first Grand Slam title, it was difficult for him to return to competition. There was plenty of stress after such a big event, and Alcaraz added that he had either not fully processed what had occurred or had lost a "little hope."

"I had a bad period after I won the US Open," he said. "That sounds like I’m making it up, but well, I enjoyed that moment a lot. But the truth is, when I had to go back into competition, there was a point when I went: ‘Stress!’ You know?"

"Maybe I hadn’t fully taken on board what had happened," he added. "Or maybe, instinctively, I lost a little hope."

When Alcaraz achieved what he had hoped for since he was a child, his aspirations "dimmed" slightly. He added that it was "difficult" because no one, including his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, enjoyed seeing him so "shut down" and "lacking in spark."

"I think what happened was, when I saw that I’d achieved what I’d dreamed of since I was a little kid, unconsciously, that aspiration dimmed a bit," he said. "And that was hard. Because no one was enjoying it — I wasn’t on the court; Juanki [Juan Carlos Ferrero] wasn’t, seeing me so shut down and lacking in spark. I thought, Where do I go now?"

Carlos Alcaraz is currently competing in the 2023 Rio Open, where he faced Brazilian Mateus Alves in the Round of 32. The defending champion took a 6-4, 5-3 lead over Alves before play was halted due to heavy rain.