Retired WTA pro Chris Evert claims rising star Carlos Alcaraz has the ability to become World No.1 and win at least 10 Grand Slam trophies, following his impressive title run at the 2022 Miami Open.
Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud on Sunday in straight sets to lift his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title. It was the latest milestone in what has been a meteoric rise for the 18-year-old. He was ranked 141st in the ATP rankings at the start of last season, but is now closing in on the top 10.
Although Alcaraz fell to compatriot Rafael Nadal in the semifinals at Indian Wells two weeks ago, Evert believes the 21-Grand Slam champion sees a lot of himself in Alcaraz.
"When Alcaraz lost to Nadal in Indian Wells, Nadal was talking about him and he said he's humble, passionate and strong," said Evert. "After he said all these superlatives, I just said to myself: ‘wait, he's talking about himself. And, sure enough, that's why he's the heir apparent to Nadal because he's got all those intangible qualities that are so appealing. Like being humble and being passionate, along with the physical tools, his movement and the fact that he has no weaknesses.
“He's got the whole package and I know I'm just sounding like everyone else when I say he's going to win multiple Grand Slams, but he could be in the double digits in Grand Slams and become No. 1. There's just nothing preventing him in my eyes.”
Evert added that Alcaraz's power alongside the finesses of his game sets him out as a player capable of challenging at the very top of the sport.
“It's just interesting with how physical tennis is now - especially in the men's game that a teenager - I mean, would we ever expect to see an 18-year-old with the physicality and the tools this advanced in the men's game?” she added.
“You could see [it] in the women's game because we've seen it historically, we've seen 15- and 16-year-olds beat top players in the women's game, but we've really never seen a teenager… well we haven't seen it in a long time. So that's what's very, very impressive.”
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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