Carlitos' back! 🫡 Almost a month after Wimbledon triumph, the World No.1 did the job against Ben Shelton, beaten 6-3 7-6 in Toronto Someone to stop him?
"He's already champion": Gael Monfils says Carlos Alcaraz is on track to becoming 'a legend' after practicing together at Canadian Open
ATPThursday, 10 August 2023 at 14:55
Gael Monfils has said that Carlos Alcaraz is on track to becoming 'a legend' of the sport. This comes after the Frenchman practiced with the world No. 1 at the National Bank Canadian Open in Toronto.
Both Monfils and Alcaraz have experienced success so far at the ATP Masters 1000 event. The former world No. 6 has already defeated Wimbledon quarterfinalist Christopher Eubanks and world No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Meanwhile, although some have said Alcaraz isn't playing at his absolute best in Canada, he has made it through to the Round of 16 after a straight-set win against Ben Shelton. Moreover, Monfils has now openly praised the talented young player, predicting great things for his sporting future.
Monfils thinks Alcaraz will become a tennis 'legend'
The two players have only faced each other once in their careers so far. This was last year at the 2022 Indian Wells Masters, where Alcaraz emerged victorious 7-5, 6-1.
However, they shared the court once again for a practice session in Toronto, where Monfils got an even clearer idea of the 20-year-old's ability.
Speaking after the session, the 36-year-old praised Alcaraz as a person and as a player, before referencing the Spaniard's goals for the future.
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"Carlos is a great guy. Obviously, a great kid. You know, he's beginning of a big legend of the tennis, you know. I think definitely a champion already, the tennis, you know. I think definitely a champion already, but it's -- I think his goal is to become a legend like those legends that we have in our game," he said.
While there is an ongoing debate about whether or not people should be comparing Alcaraz to tennis legends such as the Big Three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic so early on in his career, Monfils said that he thinks the two-time Grand Slam champion is at least 'on a track' to reaching legendary status in the sport.
"I think every player wants to become a champion, legend, whatever. He's already champion, you know. When you're champion, for me, when you win slams, and he already won slams. And I think he stated already that he wants to win a lot of Grand Slam.
You know, to win a lot of Grand Slam is to become a legend. So I feel like he's on a track to win the number for him to become a legend."
Nevertheless, Monfils insisted that people should not put too much pressure on the young player,
"But don't put pressure on him," he added while smiling.
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