Patrick McEnroe speaks to Tennis365 about Carlos Alcaraz
Patrick McEnroe has hailed Carlos Alcaraz as the shining star of men’s tennis, but he believes he has a wild side to his game that may need to be tamed.
McEnroe, who reached a career high ranking of No 28 and is the younger brother of Grand Slam legend John McEnroe, believes four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz may learn to dilute the fiery side of his game that occasionally costs him in the heat of battle on court.
At the age of 21, Alcaraz has already won two Wimbledon titles, as well as lifting the French Open and US Open titles, but he had a rawness to his game that is natural for a player of his tender years.
His defeat against Botic van de Zandschulp at last year’s US Open and his loss against Novak Djokovic a the Australian Open in January were examples of Alcaraz’s frustration getting the better of him, with McEnroe assessing how the youngster could improve his game as he spoke to Tennis365 in his role as joint-President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
“Alcaraz is electric and he is electrifying when he gets on a court and the only issue would be that he has, at times, hit his way out of a match by going for too much,” McEnroe told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview.
“He is so fun to watch because he can hit every shot, but that talent can hurt him when he is not having his best day.
“We have seen it a few times and last year’s US Open comes to mind as being a moment when he didn’t have answers when he was not hitting the winners he expects.
“That was the case against Djokovic at the Australian Open as well. He was clearly unnerved by Djokovic appearing to be injured and then getting back up and playing at such a high level again by the end.
“So he may need to reel it in sometimes because we can all see what he is capable of and he has shown that by winning four Grand Slams at the age of 21.
“If he does reel it in, then he might become more effective and consistent, but he may not be as much fun to watch. We all like to watch him and let’s not forget what he has already achieved.
“He has won four majors on all the different surfaces in tennis so I would not want to nitpick his game too much.”
McEnroe went on to suggest Alcaraz is in a league of his own in the popularity stakes among tennis fans, as he continues to steal the headlines away from world No 1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam king Djokovic.
“He’s the most popular player in tennis right now. He’s not the world No 1, but he is an attraction and people want to see him,” he added.
“The way he plays the game, people look at him and say ‘wow’, I didn’t even know that shot was possible. People love to watch Alcaraz and we are lucky to have him in our sport.”
The International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) officially opened its Letters to Greatness booth at an event hosted by ITHF Presidents, Patrick McEnroe and Kim Clijsters.
McEnroe and Clijsters were joined by ITHF CEO, Dan Faber and upcoming 2025 Inductees, Bob and Mike Bryan, to kick off the event by recording their own Letters to Greatness – congratulatory messages to Maria Sharapova and the Bryan Brothers ahead of their formal induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame later this summer.
The Letters to Greatness booth will remain open throughout the remainder of the BNP Paribas Open, where tennis fans will have the chance to record or pen their own personal messages to the Class of 2025.
