John McEnroe hails Carlos Alcaraz's attitude amid tough tennis moments

Thursday, 30 May 2024 at 12:10

Former world number one John McEnroe believes Spain’s young tennis star Carlos Alcaraz’s biggest weapon is his smile. 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.

McEnroe, who won seven Grand Slams in his career and is currently working as a pundit and tennis commentator, was recently quoted in a report where he heaped praise on the attitude of Alcaraz. The 65-year-old highlighted that Alcaraz’s biggest weapon is his ‘smile’ in tense situations, which can ‘rub off’ any player.

“I absolutely love watching Carlos Alcaraz play,” said McEnroe. “He's the best player I've ever seen at his age, and we need to see more of him at this tournament and in future years. The thing I wish I had more of when I was his age was just loving being out there. I'm sure every player would love to have his attitude. It's crazy. To be able to go through tense moments and have those ups and downs, it's so good to see. It's certainly true that his biggest attribute is being able to smile in tense situations. I hope it can rub off on other players.”

Alcaraz is currently taking part in the French Open where he started 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, he got the better of Netherlands’ Jesper De Jong with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.