"His values on and off the court are absolutely first class": Tim Henman believes Carlos Alcaraz can already be considered a 'legend'

Former Britain’s number one Tim Henman believes that Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz can already be considered a ‘legend’. The 22-year-old is regarded as one of the best players in the world and has already produced some incredible results on the court.

Alcaraz won two of the four Grand Slam titles in 2025 and reached the final of three of the four major events. His first major triumph in 2025 was the French Open, where Alcaraz snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and came out on top in a five-set thriller with a score of 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 against then world number one Sinner.

During that match, Sinner had three championship points in the fourth set but failed to capitalise on any of them, eventually coming second-best in a match that lasted more than five hours and officially became the second-longest final in the history of men’s tennis in the Open era. A few months later, Alcaraz lifted the US Open for the second time in his career after once again beating Sinner in the final with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

While doing that, Alcaraz became the youngest player in the history of men’s tennis in the Open era to win six major titles before turning 23. In between that, Alcaraz lost in the final of a major event as well. He came second-best against Sinner in the final at Wimbledon with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Overall, Alcaraz lifted eight titles in 2025. It was the most titles he won in a calendar year in his young career. Most recently, he won the Japan Open in Tokyo after beating America’s Taylor Fritz in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4. As things stand, Alcaraz is number one in the world with 11,340 rating points, followed by Sinner in the second spot with 10,000 rating points.

No other player on the circuit has even 6,000 points, which shows that they are reaching the levels not many thought they would, and that too so early in their respective careers. Alcaraz, who is currently taking part in the Six Kings Slam, has now received a lot of praise from former British number one Henman.

The 51-year-old recently spoke to Tennis365 on Instagram with Kevin Palmer, praising Alcaraz and stating that he can already consider himself one of the game's legends. Henman stated that he has spent some time with Alcaraz and was very impressed by his attitude and attributes. Henman thought that with the likes of Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Switzerland’s Roger Federer winning 24, 22 and 20 Grand Slams respectively, people have forgot the fact in the past days, if someone would have won 5 or more major titles, they would have been called legends, something that Alcaraz has already achieved despite being just 22.

"I spent a bit of time with him and was very impressed not only by his qualities as a player but also by his personality,” said Alcaraz. “His attitude, his energy, his values on and off the court are absolutely first class. His game has evolved in a phenomenal way. What Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic achieved by winning 20, 22, and 24 Grand Slams almost created an imbalance for other generations. If you think about Edberg, Becker, McEnroe, Wilander, or Connors, they are legends of this sport. Alcaraz is at six Grand Slams and he is still very young. And people are starting to ask if he will win 20. It's almost unfair. Of course, when I was playing and Pete Sampras won 14 Grand Slams, I would have bet all my money that no one would surpass him. And yet, three players have done it. We'll see how many Grand Slams Alcaraz and Sinner will achieve."