Gael Monfils predicted a bright future for Carlos Alcaraz, saying that he thinks his aim is 'to become a legend' in the sport, before the 20-year-old lost to Tommy Paul at the National Bank Canadian Open in Toronto.
Former world No. 6 Monfils has praised world No. 1 Alcaraz, saying he thinks the Spaniard will win a lot of Grand Slams and reach legendary status as he progresses throughout his career. These comments were made after the pair practiced together at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Canada.
The 36-year-old has only faced Alcaraz once in competition, at the 2022 Indian Wells. The 36-year-old lost in straight sets to the two-time Grand Slam champion, 7-5, 6-1.
Monfils spoke of Alcaraz's great ability, saying he first realized just how good he was after their match against each other last year.
"Carlos is a great guy; a great kid.
You know, he's the beginning of a big legend of tennis. 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. I played him last year. And when I finished the match, I told everybody, 'Whoa, look out. He's going to be -- he is different'," he said.
The Frenchman then went into more detail, adding:
"When I played him, you know, I felt like his ball was different. His movement was different. His mentality was different. He's already a champion. When you're champion, for me, when you win slams, and he already won slams.
To win a lot of Grand Slams is to become a legend. If you win more than a certain number of Slams, you become a legend. I feel like he's on track to win the number for him to become a legend. But don't put pressure on him."
These comments came before Alcaraz's shock defeat to twelfth-seed Paul in the Canadian Open quarter-finals.
The young tennis star's usually fantastic game seemed off, and several unforced errors and double faults combined with three breaks from Paul meant Alcaraz made a relatively early exit from the tournament.
Nevertheless, it does not mean that Monfils' praise is any less true, as Alcaraz has proved himself to be a highly talented player more times than not. The most recent example of this came at this year's Wimbledon, where he defeated seven-time champion Novak Djokovic to take his second Grand Slam title at just 20 years old.
Moving forward, Alcaraz is preparing to compete at the Cincinnati Open before beginning his run at the US Open, where he is the defending champion.
Gael Monfils on Carlos Alcaraz trying to become a legend: “Every player wants to become a legend. He’s already a champion. You’re a champion when you win Slams. He said already he wants to win a lot of Slams. To win a lot of Slams is to become a legend. If you win a certain…
