Ivan Lendl predicts 'extremely polite' Carlos Alcaraz is only going to get better, praises Spaniard's coaching team for his rise

Ivan Lendl is the latest name in the tennis world to shower praise on World No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz, calling him "an extremely polite young man."

The 19-year-old has had a spectacular 2022 season, registering a 57-13 win-loss record and winning five titles — including his first Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open, defeating Casper Ruud in the final and becoming the youngest ever ATP World Number 1.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast, 94-time titlist Lendl suggested that the already-established Spaniard was only going to get better in the future.

"Alcaraz is pretty good and he's only going to get better for a while," he said.

When asked which player was his favorite among the younger lot, the 62-year-old Czech-American revealed that he preferred not to have a favorite but continued to speak highly of Alcaraz and his coaching team, led by former player Juan Carlos Ferrero, who was conferred with the 2022 ATP Coach of the Year award a few days ago.

"I don't know that. I don't look at it that way. I know Carlos Alcaraz is coached very well. He has a great team around him. Those guys are very, very good at what they do, the Spaniards. And Juan Carlos Ferrero is fantastic and they're teaching him well, they're teaching him the right things, they're teaching him all the protocols. He's an extremely polite young man. He's great. The Spanish guys do something very good. The French guys do that as well. They retain their former pros and plug them into the programs," Lendl expressed.

Carlos Alcaraz, who started his season as the World No. 32, finished the year at the top of the ATP rankings. The 19-year-old won two ATP 500 titles — Rio Open and Barcelona Open and two Masters 1000 titles — Miami Open and Madrid Open, along with the New York Major.

After ending his season early due to an abdominal injury, he will next be seen at the Australian Open 2023, set to begin on January 16.

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"Carlos Alcaraz is a player who will mark an era" - Rafael Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz (L) and Rafael Nadal

During an interview with Marca, Rafael Nadal heaped praise on compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, saying that he possessed all the skills to become an all-time great.

"Normally, what makes someone so special is being very good, nothing more. When I say that he is special, I mean that he is very fast, that he hits very hard, that he has a great drive and a great backhand and that he has the ability to be a great tennis player," he said.

Nadal also suggested that Alcaraz's rise might have been helped by the fact that Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and himself were past their primes when the youngster arrived.

"If we can analyze it this way, because Carlos is very special and he is a player who I think will mark an era. I also say with total humility, and this must not be lost sight of, that when Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, or Tsitsipas arrived, Federer, Djokovic, and I were still at a very high level," he added.