“Hopefully that's going to cause a change in the kids coming”: John McEnroe hopes Carlos Alcaraz’s game will reshape youth tennis

Former world No. 1 John McEnroe stated that Carlos Alcaraz is easily among the top five athletes ever to play on a tennis court, referencing Spain’s decades-long investment in tennis development. The American praised Alcaraz as a “natural freak athlete” and suggested that his playing style could redefine the future of tennis.

‘Carlitos’ is preparing to defend his Roland Garros title starting this Monday, May 26, when he will face Italian player Guido Zeppieri. The 22-year-old enters Paris riding a strong clay-court run, boasting a 15–1 record and titles at the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open.

In a recent media session including with TennisUpToDate ahead of the French Open, McEnroe was asked about the gap between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner compared to the rest of the Tour, emphasizing the Spaniard’s superior adaptability across surfaces. “If you had to pick the top five athletes that ever played on a tennis court, I think without a doubt he'd be one of the top five,” comentó McEnroe. “So he's just a a natural freak athlete for us that can cover the court in ways that few people ever have been able to do. “

“Sinner's gotten better and better, you know, and figured out a way to, you know, bring his level up, because a lot of people were talking about him (Alcaraz) when he was a kid. I mean, we see these kids when they're some cases 15-16, if not slightly later, and you see them mature. But he’s absolutely one of the greatest athletes he's ever played.”

The American also reflected on Alcaraz’s early development, crediting Spain’s forward-thinking approach since the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. "I think that Spain did something good. In the '92 Olympic Games that were played in Barcelona, they started, they sensed the future that Olympic tennis was perhaps going to,” the 7-time Grand Slam champion explained. "So they started different surfaces; not all Spanish players played all the time on clay.”

“And so Alcaraz can play on all surfaces even at a young age, but he was taught really well to be adventurous and to learn skills that I try to teach in my academy, that it is hard to get kids to buy into because they don't [like] the balls hit harder so they're less willing to go to that, and Alcaraz has never been that way, so hopefully that's going to cause a change in the kids coming.”