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Rick Macci has consistently expressed his fondness for Carlos Alcaraz's game. The former coach of the Williams sisters believes people will praise the 20-year-old's poise when he wins his next Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz has won 12 career titles, including two Grand Slams; the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. However, he hasn't won any title since then. He is now gearing up to defend his title at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters, as he is set to face Italy's Matteo Arnaldi in the second round.
On Wednesday (March 6), Macci wrote a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that those criticizing Alcaraz will be 'glowing' about his shot-making skills and 'poise' when he wins his next Major.
“When he wins his next Major and Slams the outside Noise everybody will be Glowing about his Shot making and Poise. @carlosalcaraz” Macci wrote.
Macci has consistently showered the Spaniard with praises. In November 2023, during an episode of the Match Point Canada podcast, he openly expressed that Alcaraz embodies the qualities of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andre Agassi. Macci supports the idea that the Spaniard has the potential to win multiple Grand Slam titles.
“He [Carlos Alcaraz] is a combination of, I tell everybody, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Agassi, all wrapped in one. I think he is going to get such a bucket of Grand Slams, it’s unreal. I feel, in my opinion, he is by far, the leader in the clubhouse.” Rick Macci said
Carlos Alcaraz will face Matteo Arnaldi in the second round of the 2024 Indian Wells Open
Carlos Alcaraz will commence his title defense at Indian Wells when he faces 23-year-old Matteo Arnaldi in the second round on Friday (March 8). The former started his season at the Australian Open, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinal by World No. 6 Alexander Zverev.
The Spaniard later participated in the Argentina Open but couldn't defend his title, losing to Nicolas Jarry in the semifinals. Subsequently, he competed at the Rio Open but didn't advance past the first round due to an injury sustained during the match.
On the other hand, Arnaldi secured a victory against French player Luca Van Assche to set up the second-round clash against the World No.2. Arnaldi and Alcaraz have only faced off once on the ATP tour, where the Spaniard won in the fourth round of the 2023 US Open.
No player has successfully defended their Indian Wells Open title since Novak Djokovic in 2016. Among active players, only Rafael Nadal (3) and Djokovic (5) have won the title more than once.
