The debate surrounding who should be regarded as the greatest tennis player of all time has brought many names into contention but Boris Becker has picked youngster Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz, who turned 22 last month, recently claimed his fifth Grand Slam title at the French Open after winning the longest men’s final ever contested at the tournament. The Spaniard found himself two sets down and facing three match points in the fourth set against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner but managed to battle back to claim victory. Winning the French Open title for a second year running after five hours and 29 minutes of play.
The triumph in Paris has earned Alcaraz high praise, especially from Becker, who won six major titles during his career and held the No. 1 spot for 12 weeks. Speaking on a podcast with former player Andrea Petkovic, the 57-year-old described Alcaraz as “the best player of all time.”
“The variation, the power, the feel for the ball – I don’t know of any player in the history of tennis who has that combination,” Eurosport Germany quoted Becker as saying on the podcast, which was recorded live at this week’s Stuttgart Open.
“He’s still in seventh gear.”
Despite his age, Alcaraz has already won 20 Tour-level titles during his career. Besides his five Grand Slam triumphs, he has won seven Masters 1000’s, six ATP 500’s and two ATP 250’s. He also won a silver medal at last year’s Paris Olympic Games, losing to Novak Djokovic in the final.
“For me, he’s a genius,” Becker continued. “When he’s challenged, tickled, and motivated, he finds another level that no other player in the world has.”
Speaking specifically about the French Open final, the 57-year-old described the match as a ‘compliment’ to the sport. However, he believes it will take a while for Sinner to get over his disappointment of losing to Alcaraz after having multiple championship points.
“The whole world is talking about Alcaraz and Sinner, that’s a huge compliment for our sport,” he said
“Sinner needs a year to recover from it. Until he’s back on this court, at this tournament. Even if he plays well until then, this defeat will still be on his mind for another year.”
Both Alcaraz and Sinner will shift their focus to the grass with Wimbledon beginning on June 30th. The Spaniard is bidding to win the title for the third year in a row.
