“He has a maturity not specific to his age”

Carlos Alcaraz is writing his own story in world tennis, one of precocity, becoming the youngest player to win all four Grand Slam tournaments, completing the career Grand Slam at just 22 years and 272 days.

In terms of the number of trophies won, the current world leader advances in the all-time hierarchy, equaling John McEnroe and Mats Wilander from the Open Era, but also Richard Sears, William Renshaw, William Larned, René Lacoste, Henri Cochet and John Newcombe from the amateur era.

John McEnroe spoke about Carlos Alcaraz in an interview for the Spanish daily El País. “Those who have listened to me comment on matches know that Alcaraz is probably my favorite player. It's crazy what he's able to do on a tennis court, even though he's not a very tall player, he's probably half an inch taller than me.” thinks the American, who measures 1.80 m. Carlos is, however, according to the official profile on the ATP website, 1.83 m.

John McEnroe's Trophies

• Wimbledon – 1981, 1983, 1984

• US Open – 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984

Carlos Alcaraz's trophies

• Australian Open 2026

• Roland Garros 2024, 2025

• Wimbledon 2023, 2024

• US Open 2022, 2025

John McEnroe: “Living with that kind of pressure is not easy”

The former world leader also spoke about the rapid evolution from a technical, strategic and mental point of view that Carlos Alcaraz had, but also about that of Jannik Sinner, who, even if he lost in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic, remains one of the protagonists of this era of men's tennis, with four triumphs in Grand Slam competitions.

“In major tournaments they can implement important technical variations, embedded in their own style. They keep their essence and brave spirit, but they know how to adapt to all situations, evolving in an intelligent way. They represent today's tennis. A new generation that combines emotion and excellent technique. In my time, such a thing was unimaginable.” John McEnroe said.

Asked if Alcaraz, in his search for progress in terms of efficiency, might lose his game-showiness, the Wimbledon and US Open champion replied: “No, not at all. If there's anything Carlos has shown since he appeared on the circuit, it's a maturity not specific to his age. He knows his strengths very well and tries to correct those aspects of his game that he's not completely satisfied with. He wants to improve without losing sight of the great qualities he has he has, plus the mentality of a winner”.

The former world leader also spoke about the inevitable comparison with Rafael Nadal, who watched the duel between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic from the spot. “ShuI don't agree that there are obvious similarities. Living with that kind of pressure isn't easy, but I think he's handling it as well as possible. To always be at the top and maintain this level is very complicated”.

John McEnroe PHOTO imago Images

Asked if he is tempted to coach Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, the considered bad boy of tennis said, in his own style: “Honestly, I think someone like me – or even this cap I'm wearing now – could train these players. But to win 10, 15 or 20 Grand Slams you need someone to make that small difference. There only the great coaches are the ones who can influence. I don't think I belong in that category“.

However, if given the choice, who would he like to coach more between Alcaraz and Sinner? “I have a lot of respect for both of them. Darren Cahill and his team have done a fantastic job, in fact they are both surrounded by very solid technical teams,” said the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

Big Mac then admitted that he'd be happy to be with either of the two, as his strategy would be to pat them on the back and wish them luck before taking the field. “I don't know to what point I would actually have anything useful to say to them,” he stated humorously.