Boris Becker: "No tennis player in history has ever put together Alcaraz's combination."

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German tennis player Boris Becker, winner of six Grand Slam titles, has once again embraced Carlos Alcaraz after the Spanish player retained his title at Roland Garros after coming from behind in the final against Jannik Sinner.

In statements reported by Eurosport Germany, Becker believes Alcaraz has the best combination of shots in history. "His shot variation, the power with which he hits, the feel he has on the balls... I don't know of any player in the history of tennis who has this combination."

In fact, Becker believes that if Alcaraz is motivated, no player on tour could beat him. “He still has a seventh gear. For me, Alcaraz is a genius. When you challenge him, stimulate him, and motivate him, he reaches a level no other player can reach.”
 
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He's an untamed wild beast at this point. A glorious sighting but can be dangerous for the spectators and himself.

Roger Federer is the only other player who belongs in this exact conversation of geniuses - and he I maintain, is still the gold standard for this kind of Tennis despite Carlos essentially being a rebirth of the man in many ways.
 
Boris is mostly right too. The highest level Carlos can produce is the sport of Tennis as a whole at its glorious peak, in my opinion anyway.
The stretch from 15-30 5-6 in the RG final's fifth set to the whole of the match TB was as Robbie says, scandalous!

Some time during the Madrid 2022 tournament, I remember story-ing how when Alcaraz peaks, Tennis peaks. Some of us did see the mad genius he can be after all - not that Madrid 2022 was the first time, but still.
 
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TennisGrandpA said:
There’s a reason why i always called out JCF since he can’t polish Carlos and bring his best version , Carlos has won so many slams with a horrible coach in box is a testament to his talent. There are many areas where he can still work on.
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The reason you and others call out JCF is just to farm more reactions , nothing else.

We know far less than jcf about alcaraz. Far far less.
 
Social media amplifies fans’ belief that they know more than Juan Carlos Ferrero because platforms like X incentivize bold, attention-grabbing takes to farm reactions, often prioritizing hot opinions over nuanced analysis. Fans post critiques of Ferrero’s coaching—such as suggesting Alcaraz switch to a coach like Carlos Moyá—chasing likes and retweets, which creates an echo chamber where oversimplified claims gain traction. This dynamic, fueled by the instant feedback of social media metrics, makes fans feel their surface-level observations rival Ferrero’s expertise, despite his proven success with Alcaraz’s Grand Slam wins. The quest for clout drives hyperbolic statements, drowning out the reality that coaching at the elite level involves complexities fans rarely grasp.
 
A lot of ****ting on sinner is just the way tw works.

Tw wants you to believe sinner has not won a set ever vs raz.. while all of their last matches except Rome were razor thin margins.

Saying raz is most talented just proves sinner is as talented as well.
 
Move said:
You can sometimes argue about Boris' statements but imo he is right with this one. I am a bit worried though if Carlos can keep these abilities flowing for a longer (serveral years) period. But let us enjoy them here and now for sure
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Yah man, agree that. Carlitos' versatility / nuanced skills/flair were already apparent when he was younger. Kid caught my interest when he beat Tsitsipas in 5 at the USO 2021. BB has said what many have during Carlitos' young career. I too think that when on, Carlos is inspired, a genius. You're spot - here and now matters. The future will be what it will be. Wishing the dude well in his future adventures.

FeroBango said:
He's an untamed wild beast at this point. A glorious sighting but can be dangerous for the spectators and himself......
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Heh, heh. Enjoyed this picture you paint - had a chuckle. Seems an apt one for @Hoodman tales of Carlitos' exploits ....... "Then came an incredible point by Carlos".
 
SonnyT said:
As I said, Carlos was the best I have ever seen!

Jannik, as talented as he is, doesn't belong in the same category! I guess he belongs to the 'ordinary' superstar category!
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I am very fond of Alcaraz and his game, but the fact is that of now, Sinner is still the number one ranked player despite being out of the game for three months this year.
 
This is what's crazy about Carlos's talent. He's won 5 slams and 7 Masters at 22 and I don't feel like he's played to his full capability. I mean, he's done this with a serve that still needs work and some questionable tactics and mentality with let ups in match. I think there's still room to grow in his game. I don't fully blame Ferrero and I think he's quite underrated as a coach but there are some tactics in Carlos's in match strategy that leave something to be desired. I personally think that's stubbornness on his part more than coaching but I do think it's something that can improve with maturity.

On the other hand, I feel that Sinner is maximizing his massive talent. Things that were his weaknesses before like his serve, movement and variety have improved tenfold over the last 2 years. The one hurdle for Sinner to overcome is fitness but I feel like that's improved too, he was fresh as a daisy towards the end of the RG match even though he was cramping early in the 5th set.

With that said, I think some of these experts go overboard with this talk of Alcaraz being unbeatable when he's peaking. Sinner's peak is right there with him, we saw that on full display just over a week ago.
 
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NYTennisfan said:
This is what's crazy about Carlos's talent. He's won 5 slams and 7 Masters at 22 and I don't feel like he's played to his full capability. I mean, he's done this with a serve that still needs work and some questionable tactics and mentality with let ups in match. I think there's still room to grow in his game. I don't fully blame Ferrero and I think he's quite underrated as a coach but there are some tactics in Carlos's in match strategy that leave something to be desired. I personally think that's stubbornness on his part more than coaching but I do think it's something that can improve with maturity.

On the other hand, I feel that Sinner is maximizing his massive talent. Things that were his weaknesses before like his serve, movement and variety have improved tenfold over the last 2 years. The one hurdle for Sinner to overcome is fitness but I feel like that's improved too, he was fresh as a daisy towards the end of the RG match even though he was cramping early in the 5th set.

With that said, I think some of these experts go overboard with this talk of Alcaraz being unbeatable when he's peaking. Sinner's peak is right there with him, we saw that on full display just over a week ago.
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But I think you kind of addressed your last paragraph with the first two. As you note, Sinner is (close to) maximizing his massive talent while Alcaraz seemingly hasn't played to his full capacity. As a result, I don't think experts like Becker are going overboard. They, like you, recognize that Alcaraz has higher highs than Sinner, but lower lows, with maximizing his talent being about being in that seventh gear more consistently.
 
* most everyone agreeing with Becker , whereas if McEnroe were to say this he’d get the execution chair here :oops:
 
buscemi said:
But I think you kind of addressed your last paragraph with the first two. As you note, Sinner is (close to) maximizing his massive talent while Alcaraz seemingly hasn't played to his full capacity. As a result, I don't think experts like Becker are going overboard. They, like you, recognize that Alcaraz has higher highs than Sinner, but lower lows, with maximizing his talent being about being in that seventh gear more consistently.
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A lot of it is about the serve and it's something that he'll have to improve on as he gets older and the physical skills start diminishing because he just doesn't get enough easy points on serve to put away better competition like Sinner does. Prime example was that Sinner was broken twice, I believe, the entire French Open while Alcaraz was broken countless times which is why you see Sinner breeze through non-Alcaraz matches and Alcaraz have to grind more. That's going to wear on him physically at some point, he has to get that serve right if he wants to maintain an ATG level for more than 3-4 years or so.

I kind of went off on a tangent but the general point is that serve is what's keeping his peak from being even higher and it's what's needed to improve in order for him to fully maximize his potential.
I'd love for him to bring in Goran to help with the serve, would be a massive boon for his game especially on Hard Courts.
 
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I think Sinner is possibly the best we have seen of the stereotype 'modern player' massive ground strokes, great shot selection etc, etc. However Alcaraz has that X factor, plus he is quicker. I think once Carlos figures out how he wants to play and as he matures into his game and shot making ability the sky will be the limit.
 
Tennfan123 said:
Jcf lucked out on looks, too. Basically got everything in life. Except that second slam!
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Haha yeah, he was quite a looker in his playing days!

Some people get everything on platter in life and some never had a chance, no wonder why religions were made to keep unfortunate ones in lie lol and paint a rosy picture
 
TennisGrandpA said:
There’s a reason why i always called out JCF since he can’t polish Carlos and bring his best version , Carlos has won so many slams with a horrible coach in box is a testament to his talent. There are many areas where he can still work on.
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Disagree. If a player is told to play in a way outside their comfort zone they will
Not end up doing well over the long term.

It is a dance between coach and player. While some blame JCF for Alcaraz shoddy results others see differently.
 
bullfan said:
Disagree. If a player is told to play in a way outside their comfort zone they will
Not end up doing well over the long term.

It is a dance between coach and player. While some blame JCF for Alcaraz shoddy results others see differently.
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Ferrero is the one pushing Alcaraz to the top. I have no doubt about it. With a different coach, Carlos wouldn't be as successful.
 
NYTennisfan said:
This is what's crazy about Carlos's talent. He's won 5 slams and 7 Masters at 22 and I don't feel like he's played to his full capability. I mean, he's done this with a serve that still needs work and some questionable tactics and mentality with let ups in match. I think there's still room to grow in his game. I don't fully blame Ferrero and I think he's quite underrated as a coach but there are some tactics in Carlos's in match strategy that leave something to be desired. I personally think that's stubbornness on his part more than coaching but I do think it's something that can improve with maturity.

On the other hand, I feel that Sinner is maximizing his massive talent. Things that were his weaknesses before like his serve, movement and variety have improved tenfold over the last 2 years. The one hurdle for Sinner to overcome is fitness but I feel like that's improved too, he was fresh as a daisy towards the end of the RG match even though he was cramping early in the 5th set.

With that said, I think some of these experts go overboard with this talk of Alcaraz being unbeatable when he's peaking. Sinner's peak is right there with him, we saw that on full display just over a week ago.
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To be fair to the experts the tie-break did appear to be a bagel before Sinner got 2 points.
 
Nappa said:
German tennis player Boris Becker, winner of six Grand Slam titles, has once again embraced Carlos Alcaraz after the Spanish player retained his title at Roland Garros after coming from behind in the final against Jannik Sinner.

In statements reported by Eurosport Germany, Becker believes Alcaraz has the best combination of shots in history. "His shot variation, the power with which he hits, the feel he has on the balls... I don't know of any player in the history of tennis who has this combination."

In fact, Becker believes that if Alcaraz is motivated, no player on tour could beat him. “He still has a seventh gear. For me, Alcaraz is a genius. When you challenge him, stimulate him, and motivate him, he reaches a level no other player can reach.”
Click to expand...

yes, his name is roger federer
 
Alcaraz is definitely a generational talent.

I think his mind is really his only weakness, sometimes he doesn't feel as confident and doesn't trust his shots as much and starts missing more, creating a viscous cycle.

But when he's confident like he is right now, he's a good damn monster.

I think he's still developing and in the next couple of years he's gonna reduce his UEs and improve his serve a bit more and then he will be a more complete player than he is now...which is scary.
 
nolefam_2024 said:
Social media amplifies fans’ belief that they know more than Juan Carlos Ferrero because platforms like X incentivize bold, attention-grabbing takes to farm reactions, often prioritizing hot opinions over nuanced analysis. Fans post critiques of Ferrero’s coaching—such as suggesting Alcaraz switch to a coach like Carlos Moyá—chasing likes and retweets, which creates an echo chamber where oversimplified claims gain traction. This dynamic, fueled by the instant feedback of social media metrics, makes fans feel their surface-level observations rival Ferrero’s expertise, despite his proven success with Alcaraz’s Grand Slam wins. The quest for clout drives hyperbolic statements, drowning out the reality that coaching at the elite level involves complexities fans rarely grasp.
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Without chatGPT? @Federer and Del Potro
 
Zetty said:
He just turned 22. It's pretty astonishing he was going toe to toe with someone who dominated the tour like Djoke.
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He is an early bloomer who already won 5 slams. Let us not pretend he is a baby who is light years away from prime level. Going toe-to-toe with an 37 years old should not be celebrated when he loses in the end. Regardless of whether said 37 years old happens to be GOAT or not.
 
All this talk about "genius"... meanwhile the GOAT of tennis was the guy who came from an unprivileged background and grew up playing tennis with bombs flying overhead.

"Genius" is just precocious talent that comes from having a privileged background mixed with innate talent.
 
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