Legend John McEnroe has special praise for Alcaraz

(Dan Tri) - Tennis legend John McEnroe had glowing words for Carlos Alcaraz, describing the world number one as a "breath of fresh air" and calling him the most "complete" 22-year-old tennis player he had ever seen.

After an impressive performance at the 2025 US Open, where Carlos Alcaraz dropped just a single set to win the title, the Spaniard is back in action with Team Europe at the Laver Cup in San Francisco.

The Spaniard has reclaimed the top spot in the rankings for the first time in 25 months, having lost just six of his 67 matches this season. Following his first win at the 2025 Laver Cup, Alcaraz will next face Taylor Fritz – a match that will earn them two points – as the player holds a 2-0 singles record at the Laver Cup.

Alcaraz is maintaining his high form in the 2025 season (Photo: Getty).

McEnroe, who served as World Team captain at the Laver Cup from 2017 to 2024, was quick to highlight the unique qualities Alcaraz brings to the ATP Tour in an interview with Tennis Channel.

"How much time do we have left?" the former American joked when asked why Alcaraz was "special" to the ATP Tour. "I mean, I've been watching tennis for 50 years or more. Of all the players I've watched, at this age, I've never seen a player as good and complete as he has been in the last two or three years," McEnroe continued.

"Thank God for Alcaraz and what he brings. Young kids always want to follow the example of the adults. I hope that they will look at Carlos and what he does, the way he likes to attack, to go forward because we have lost a lot of that. But I think that will change because of him. Talk about a breath of fresh air when we really need it. When he and Sinner come on, the others have to chase them and try to catch up. It's fantastic," McEnroe added.

Sinner and Alcaraz have won each of the last eight Grand Slams, contesting the last three finals against each other.

On the first day of the 2025 Laver Cup, Alcaraz and Jakub Mensik won 7-6(7), 6-4 against Taylor Fritz and Alex Michelsen. There was little to separate the two pairs, with the Spaniard and the Czech saving a set point in the first-set tiebreak.

Alcaraz and Mensik won their opening match at the 2025 Laver Cup (Photo: Getty).

Despite the result, Alcaraz admitted that he felt "sometimes lost" because he had not practiced doubles recently.

"Honestly, I feel bad, but you know, this is the first time I've played doubles since Davis Cup last year. Sometimes I feel a little lost," he shared.

"Sometimes I need to be closer to the net. Sometimes in today's match I didn't do that, but anyway today I had some great points in doubles. As I said in the on-court interview, I think thanks to Jakub Mensik, he played cleanly from the baseline, served great. I felt comfortable when I hit my shots. I guess it was a good match," Alcaraz added.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/huyen-thoai-john-mcenroe-danh-loi-khen-dac-biet-cho-alcaraz-20250920210724350.htm