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

mike danny said:
But Alcaraz is no ordinary 19-22 year old either so this argument doesn’t quite hold.

Djokovic not being an ordinary 37-38 year old is just something Carlos apologists say to ease the pain of his losses
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Heh, heh, as a Carlitos fan, I feel disappointed for him if he loses, and congratulate the winner. There is no pain to be eased. My ego is not burnished if the dude wins, or tarnished, if he loses. Having a view that differs from yours does not make a fan an 'apologist'.

This comment of yours poses an interesting take. It juxtaposes Carlitos' extraordinary abilities at a young age, against Novak's extraordinary abilities at a much older age. How does the comparison differ from players competing with extraordinary abilities if of similar age? It doesn't. The age doesn't matter if playing at a high level. Is it a black mark on Jannik's record to have lost his last 5 straight tour level matches against Carlitos, including in 3 finals? No. Jannick remains the current best player in the world, the man to beat anywhere he plays. Winning and losing is par for the course.

Just as beating Carlitos as many times as he has done gives kudos to Novak, so does beating Novak at the 2 GS finals at Wimby give kudos to Carlitos. What is especially extraordinary is that Carlitos has achieved what he has at a young age, and Novak has continued to play well at an older age. Good stuff.
 
Zetty said:
The same amount of people that were any good to stop Djokovic years before.
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you mean like prime fedal who owned him 07-10.

fed who 2-3 in slams in 11-12 and a point away from 3-2?

nadal who was 4-3 in slams in 11-14?

Murray who beat him twice in slams in 12-13?

federer who lead BO3 h2h in 14-15?

wawa who lead the slam h2h 4-1 in 14-19?

if you are talking about 89-99 born generations, yes, worst generations ever.
 
Zetty said:
Bro I'm sorry to say it as a Fed fan but from 2013 on he lost every slam match. If we're talking Bo5 the number of potential Djokovic stoppers is really no different than now.
Click to expand...

nadal beat him in RG 14, RG 20
wawa beat him 4-1 in slams in 14-19
murray also beat him in Wim 13

worst competition from 16 onwards yes.
 
BorgTheGOAT said:
Well time will tell. However, of course every month that passes plays into Raz´ cards so it is not necessarily so telling if he wins from now on. The damage from the losses (AO AND OG which is big imho) are already done. A 37 years old should not be able to beat the new ruler in slams and Olympic finals. If he then avenges the losses against the 39 year version or whatever it won't make up for it so much.
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The olympics was less than a year ago. How does Djokovic go from 37 to 39 in less than a year exactly? The AO loss is irrelevant as Djokovic lost the next round, and i distinctly remember in 2022 when Nadal beat Djokovic, Novak fans and the media saying that meant nothing if Nadal didnt win the event. The Olympic final was a big deal, but its a best of 3 set final ultimately. When Nadal won the Olympics it was best of five sets, and as ive said many times now had 2024 final been best of 5, Alcaraz wins. This years FO actually served as a great reminder of that point.
W2019 Final reaction by Nole fans, and the glee when Nadal was injured post FO 2022 im afraid renders arguments about age and health irrelevant which i am sure is why the media seemingly en masse are bigging up Sinner and Alcaraz as the greatest players seen. What goes around tends to come around
 
FeroBango said:
Alcaraz for all the seventh mythical gear many of us agree that he has including Boris here, is a head case. As you say it's got to do with his age and youthful arrogance and the opposite of it, the easily crushed ego.

Olympics 2024 sucked the soul out of him and though he should have won against Djokovic this year - perhaps his most unreasonable loss, it's also true that during that stretch that extended arguably til Miami this year save for the great indoor title he snatched, he was shot mentally to the extent in retrospect it is not wonder that Djokovic could ALSO beat him. Djokovic could have been on a wheel chair and he still would have lost to him.

21-yo Alc was both a generational talent, the youngest to a channel slam, and a head case who probably cried himself to sleep thinking about Olympics for 5 months straight. He may not even remember the USO lol (hyperbole) because it was in the aftermath of the Olympics tragedy.

I can only hope we see more of the mental giant side of his as we move forward and less and less of the head casecaraz we know and dread.
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Sinner is literally Alcaraz's biggest asset. Like Borg was for McEnroe. With Sinner around that should focus Carlos's mind as i get the feeling Carlos only truly fears Sinner. But i agree with everything you say and your analysis of Alcaraz is on point.
 
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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penguin said:
I believe that you could not be more wrong. The number one risk to Carlos's career is injury, and it is important he doesn't play full throttle all the time. They are doing it perfectly to have had him peak for French Open and possibly Wimbledon.
Click to expand...

@Kralingen lol
 
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...
sorry man
i dont agree with it
IF (of course there is no IF) rafa stays healthy, he will look better than carlos in terms of playing style and entertainment (coz a healthy rafa would have won more slams)
rafa has shown that he had shot variation and power (brilliant drop shots and good volleys) to win slams on different surfaces

some may say djoker won 25 slams with a balanced surface distribution but we are now not talking about number of titles won
i would admit djoker played the best tennis for winning but i just want to point out that rafa is better than carlos, at least at this stage

that said, i am a rafa fan but the most entertaining and satisfying performance is still that of fed
 
Incognito said:
Neither was Rafa, but that doesn’t mean he won all his matches at that age? Rafa at the same age lost matches to players worse than Djokovic at his age.

Pain of his losses? Without 19-20 year old Alcaraz, djoke would be sitting today with 9 wimbledons lol
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Alcaraz was 20 and 21 years old when he defeated Djokovic in the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon finals.
:D
 
Incognito said:
Neither was Rafa, but that doesn’t mean he won all his matches at that age? Rafa at the same age lost matches to players worse than Djokovic at his age.

Pain of his losses? Without 19-20 year old Alcaraz, djoke would be sitting today with 9 wimbledons lol
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As I often feel, nostalgia wins over recency bias on most days here (except match days when any player can ascend to goatdom and fall to the pits of muggery).
 
messiahrobins said:
The olympics was less than a year ago. How does Djokovic go from 37 to 39 in less than a year exactly? The AO loss is irrelevant as Djokovic lost the next round, and i distinctly remember in 2022 when Nadal beat Djokovic, Novak fans and the media saying that meant nothing if Nadal didnt win the event. The Olympic final was a big deal, but its a best of 3 set final ultimately. When Nadal won the Olympics it was best of five sets, and as ive said many times now had 2024 final been best of 5, Alcaraz wins. This years FO actually served as a great reminder of that point.
W2019 Final reaction by Nole fans, and the glee when Nadal was injured post FO 2022 im afraid renders arguments about age and health irrelevant which i am sure is why the media seemingly en masse are bigging up Sinner and Alcaraz as the greatest players seen. What goes around tends to come around
Click to expand...
He will turn 39 next year so depending on when they play the next few times some of the matches will be when he is 39. Anywho, st their respective ages every month that passes plays into Raz cards so I don’t put too much stock into future wins of him (if they even happen). OG and AO 24 Djoko was already light years away from his prime so the proof is already given. Lol at that logic that slam wins don’t count because the winner didn’t win the whole thing. Would you also say Soderling’s win over Rafa is irrelevant because he didn’t win the tournament. Lol basically his whole career is built on that win.
 
Zetty said:
Bro I'm sorry to say it as a Fed fan but from 2013 on he lost every slam match. If we're talking Bo5 the number of potential Djokovic stoppers is really no different than now.
Click to expand...
The USO 2015 one stings. Fed was in such tremendous form. It stings also because as always, I had to stay up at ungodly hours to watch the thing.

2014 was a good match though, though defined by a Djokosmash Fed hit. But good stuff. He came close.
 
I think we are in for a real treat as Sinner and his team try to sort Carlos's game out. I mean in all honesty Sinner could have won the French Open if his level didn't drop just a fraction at the start on the 3rd set.
 
sherpa said:
I think we are in for a real treat as Sinner and his team try to sort Carlos's game out. I mean in all honesty Sinner could have won the French Open if his level didn't drop just a fraction at the start on the 3rd set.
Click to expand...
On that basis, Alcaraz could have won in four if he hadn’t gifted away the first set with a sloppy service game.
If, if, if….doesnt exist.
 
abmk said:
nadal beat him in RG 14, RG 20
wawa beat him 4-1 in slams in 14-19
murray also beat him in Wim 13

worst competition from 16 onwards yes.
Click to expand...
Murray beat him in one slam from '13 on, it was some dark times my guy. I would accept Rafa/Wawa being who was able to stop him at slams in this time frame. Of course I'm not referring to prior to '13. But Djoker's dominance in Bo5 I feel is not all that different than '13-'19, that's all my point was. There's 2-3 guys that can actually stop him and then outliers here and there (Medvedev)
 
Last edited:
sherpa said:
I think we are in for a real treat as Sinner and his team try to sort Carlos's game out. I mean in all honesty Sinner could have won the French Open if his level didn't drop just a fraction at the start on the 3rd set.
Click to expand...
Nah, Carlos should have rightfully won the first set and finished the match in 4.
 
FeroBango said:
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.
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A true genius wins the Grand Slam. Anything less is "Best of the Rest" category, no matter how much those clearly living in a current moment want to believe they are watching anything unique.
KK Partizan said:
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.
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Djokovic is merely one of the "Best of the Rest". Not a genius and certainly no GOAT player.
 
THUNDERVOLLEY said:
A true genius wins the Grand Slam. Anything less is "Best of the Rest" category, no matter how much those clearly living in a current moment want to believe they are watching anything unique.

Djokovic is merely one of the "Best of the Rest". Not a genius and certainly no GOAT player.
Click to expand...
I do disagree with you sometimes but I really appreciate your consistency. Also, I can’t wait for you to proclaim Alcaraz as GOAT if manages to win “the grand slam”. Now, I said “if”. Just to see if you’ll change your tune :)
 
KennyoFatoBoiyo said:
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.
Click to expand...
"viscous cycle" is excellent. Gotta use that one.
 
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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...
I think it's time to add another name to that extremely short list of magicians who could do anything with their racquet: McEnroe, then Federer, now Alcaraz.
 
Just watched the 2005 W final. No way Djok (or anybody else) is beating Fred there.
Stunning tennis and *movement* from the Great Man.
 
FeroBango said:
The USO 2015 one stings. Fed was in such tremendous form. It stings also because as always, I had to stay up at ungodly hours to watch the thing.

2014 was a good match though, though defined by a Djokosmash Fed hit. But good stuff. He came close.
Click to expand...
Disgust. I, too, stayed up until what o'clock to watch. I was fuming the next day.
 
Saying that, though.

This guy is good. This guy is really good...
way.png
 
BorgTheGOAT said:
He will turn 39 next year so depending on when they play the next few times some of the matches will be when he is 39. Anywho, st their respective ages every month that passes plays into Raz cards so I don’t put too much stock into future wins of him (if they even happen). OG and AO 24 Djoko was already light years away from his prime so the proof is already given. Lol at that logic that slam wins don’t count because the winner didn’t win the whole thing. Would you also say Soderling’s win over Rafa is irrelevant because he didn’t win the tournament. Lol basically his whole career is built on that win.
Click to expand...
You cannot compare a Soderling to an ATG lol. 2 RG finals was an overachievement for him and he deserves huge credit. For the Big 3 and Sinneraz anything but winning events is failure, which is why i've never understood Djokovic fans celebrating Djokovic reaching lots of finals he lost.
Where do you sit then in respect of W2019 Final? Significant, or not because Federer had no business at 39 being in the final outplaying Djokovic in the first place?
 
Zetty said:
Murray beat him in one slam from '13 on, it was some dark times my guy. I would accept Rafa/Wawa being who was able to stop him at slams in this time frame. Of course I'm not referring to prior to '13. But Djoker's dominance in Bo5 I feel is not all that different than '13-'19, that's all my point was. There's 2-3 guys that can actually stop him and then outliers here and there (Medvedev)
Click to expand...

if you say 15-19 (minus 17-first half of 18), I can accept. Djokovic won 1 slam each in 13 and 14.
 
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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Any other coach may try to discipline carlos and tat may backfire. Their combination is going really well
 
abmk said:
Fed won Miami, made final of IW, made semi of RG, beat nadal and nearly beat Djoko in Wim 19, beat djoko in straights in YEC 19. pretty sure he was doing great for his age in 2019. and he will most likely have played more matches than djokovic in 2025 by the time it ends

djokovic can dream about playing next Olympics. it ain't gonna happen.
Click to expand...
Given it's Djokovic I wouldn't be 100% sure.
 
Vincent-C said:
Do it like Fred did, and add a coach for specifics: JCF for the warm feelies, and a tennis coach for his net / transition game.
Click to expand...

There’s a difference, Fed’s game didn’t lack basics like shot selection and point construction, Carlos doesn’t need coaching to hone his weapons but need a coach who can work on his basics.
 
Boomski said:
Hard to argue with Becker honestly. It's Alcaraz and Federer.

Alcaraz being the most creative tennis player on the planet for 10 minutes

Click to expand...
That io fh passing shot winner against Griekspoor is ridiculous. Almost a half-volleyball from the baseline. :eek: I’ve only seen Federer and Nadal do that. The latter doing it against Feliciano Lopez, USO2010.
 
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