In the
second episode of the Netflix series, Break Point,
Nick Kyrgios showered praise
on the emerging talents of
Carlos Alcaraz and
Holger Rune. The former Wimbledon
finalist expressed a sense of admiration for witnessing these young players
make their mark at such an early stage in their careers, igniting a desire in
him to revisit the youthful phase of his own journey.
The
Australian tennis player, who played just one match in 2023, continues to be
unavailable at the commencement of the 2024 season. Kyrgios has been grappling
with physical issues, leading to repeated delays in his return. Currently,
there is no clear timeline regarding Kyrgios' comeback.
Kyrgios applauds
Alcaraz and Rune
Kyrgios, participating for the second time in the documentary series
Break Point, shared his thoughts on the talented young players on the Tour
during an interview. "Love seeing all these players breaking through. And
obviously, seeing guys like Rune and Alcaraz kind of take over it, it's been
fun. I kind of wish I could turn the clock back, be one of these guys," he
remarked.
The 28-year-old tennis star believes that both Rune and Alcaraz will
become champions in multiple major tournaments, asserting their dominance in
the tennis realm in the years to come. While acknowledging Alcaraz's current
lead over the Danish player, Kyrgios stated, "They're going to win some
Slams for sure, but I think Alcaraz will win a bunch, Rune will win a bunch.
They're the next crop of guys to start that kind of era."
Rivalry Brewing: Rune vs. Alcaraz
In 2022, Carlos Alcaraz ascended to the World No. 1 ranking and
continues to contend for the top spot with Djokovic. Alcaraz has already
clinched two Grand Slam titles and four Masters 1000 trophies, accumulating a
total of 12 championships. On the other side, Rune reached his highest ranking
as World No. 4 and boasts four titles, with the most significant being the 2022
Paris-Masters.
The young tennis prodigies have faced each other in three encounters.
The first took place in the 2021 Next Gen, where Carlos Alcaraz emerged
victorious with a 4-3, (6), 4-2, 4-0 win. Rune secured a win in 2022 on his way
to claiming the Paris-Bercy trophy. Their most recent duel occurred in the 2023
Wimbledon quarterfinals, where Alcaraz triumphed over Rune with a scoreline of
7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4, marking a crucial victory en route to the title.