John McEnroe backs Carlos Alcaraz for deep run in French Open

Former world number one John McEnroe has Spain’s young tennis star Carlos Alcaraz to go deep into the French Open. The 21-year-old is often regarded as one of the most highly-rated players currently playing in the men’s singles category, along with Italy’s Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz is going through a mixed campaign. He had some highs, such as winning the ATP 1000 event at Indian Wells after beating Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the final in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-1.

However, recently, Alcaraz has struggled with an elbow injury. For this reason, he had to withdraw from the Monte Carlo Masters, the Barcelona Open and the Rome Open. The current world number three participated in the Madrid Masters, where he lost in the quarterfinal to Russia’s Andrey Rublev with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

After that match, the young tennis sensation admitted that he felt pain in his forearm during the contest which affected his performance level against a tough opponent.

Former world number one McEnroe was recently quoted in a report, in which he backed the youngster to go deeper into the Roland Garros and stated that the Spaniard can win any game on any surface only if he stays fit.

“He [Alcaraz] looks pretty good,” said the seven-time Grand Slam winner. “But he is a little tentative. When he unleashes his forehand it's as big as I've ever seen, it's a beautiful shot. He wants to win seven matches so he may continue to hold it back a little bit. He looks like Carlos Alcaraz.

“I don't believe he has low expectations but maybe that's for him losing in the semi-finals. Novak said the same thing. Low expectations and high hopes. What does that mean? Losing in the final? It's a different stratosphere for the top guys. If Carlos is healthy, I believe he can win any game on any surface.”

The two-time Grand Slam winner started the ongoing French Open brightly, defeating America’s J.J. Wolf in the opening round in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-2, 6-1. In the second round, Alcaraz got the better of Netherlands’ Jesper De Jong with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.