Carlos Alcaraz will be the next worldwide megastar on the Federer/Borg

[Kralingen]

He will be the next global superstar and phenomenon of tennis. In the media, he will be tennis, the way they were.
He will single-handedly make tennis popular and be the face of the sport in a way no one has outside of those two. You’ll see his face on billboards worldwide.

Is he as good of a player as Federer or Borg? No. Nor is he ever going to be as good as Sampras, Nadal, Djokovic. But that’s not what makes a superstar; not really.

3 factors led to Borg/Federer being accepted as truly global superstars

#1 - immense success at early age - check. Youngest slam winner and YE #1? Carlos.

#2 - otherworldly athleticism, marketable game that passes the “eye test” for casuals - check. He flies off the screen and plays a dynamic style that is built for hype and highlights. Stadiums are already packed for him.

#3 - most important - vacuum era in tennis - check. They are on their knees for a successor and a face to revitalize the sport - just like the 70s was after Laver/Rosewall retired and Agassi Sampras wound down in the 00s.

mark my words he is going to be the next biggest thing in world sports, on the Tiger Woods level of fame.

 

[legcramp]

You forgot #4 - Calvin Klein underwear model, check.

 

[Federev]

He will be the next global superstar and phenomenon of tennis. In the media, he will be tennis, the way they were.
He will single-handedly make tennis popular and be the face of the sport in a way no one has outside of those two. You’ll see his face on billboards worldwide.

Is he as good of a player as Federer or Borg? No. Nor is he ever going to be as good as Sampras, Nadal, Djokovic. But that’s not what makes a superstar; not really.

3 factors led to Borg/Federer being accepted as truly global superstars

#1 - immense success at early age - check. Youngest slam winner and YE #1? Carlos.

#2 - otherworldly athleticism, marketable game that passes the “eye test” for casuals - check. He flies off the screen and plays a dynamic style that is built for hype and highlights. Stadiums are already packed for him.

#3 - most important - vacuum era in tennis - check. They are on their knees for a successor and a face to revitalize the sport - just like the 70s was after Laver/Rosewall retired and Agassi Sampras wound down in the 00s.

mark my words he is going to be the next biggest thing in world sports, on the Tiger Woods level of fame.

I do admit, I haven’t enjoyed anyone’s game as much as his since Fedal.

 

[Martin J]

Let's hope that you are right and that he justifies that status with the future victories on the biggest stages.

 

[MichaelNadal]

I just hope he stops ear-cupping and being cocky on court and I would love him

 

[TheNachoMan]

I just hope he stops ear-cupping and being cocky on court and I would love him

you’re a wrestling fan and you want him to be a boring cookie cutter jabroni. lol

 

[duaneeo]

He has charisma.

 

[Midaso240]

I agree he'll be a big star, hard to say whether he'll be on the level of Borg/Fed. He'll have to string together multiple great seasons and not dip in and out of contention like those players born in the mid/late 90s

 

[norcal]

Yeah he's one of the few guys I want to watch early rounds because like Fed he is aggressive and creative which makes for entertaining tennis even when the match isn't too competitive.

 

[tennis3]

Last year at this tournament he didn’t play the main stadium 1 until the quarterfinals. And his matches were pretty empty except for his Rd16 match in stadium 2 against Monfils. But most of the crowd was there to see Monfils.

I went to all his early matches and was thinking this is probably the last time in his career he’ll be playing outside courts. He’s really spectacular to see in person. A true talent. Very cool see see him on the smaller outside courts. You really get close

 

[MichaelNadal]

you’re a wrestling fan and you want him to be a boring cookie cutter jabroni. lol

Nadal is epic af and he doesn't have to do cringe stuff like this:

I can't stand it lol, sorry.

 

[MeatTornado]

Nah

 

[Federev]

I just hope he stops ear-cupping and being cocky on court and I would love him

you’re a wrestling fan and you want him to be a boring cookie cutter jabroni. lol

O my gosh that is so good Nacho!!! 100%!!!!

 

[DSH]

Nadal is epic af and he doesn't have to do cringe stuff like this:

I can't stand it lol, sorry.

'Cringovic'!

 

[esvc]

✓ Part time injured tennis player

 

[Federev]

I thought you had to be at least 5’8” to be a superstar

Bro he is TOTALLY 5’8”.

Especially when he wears his “pump it up” super-keds with X-treme cushion souls!!!

 

[MichaelNadal]

'Cringovic'!

Extremely!

 

[InsuranceMan]

I just hope he stops ear-cupping and being cocky on court and I would love him

Si, pero BAMO BAMO BAMO, ¿no?

 

[MichaelNadal]

Si, pero BAMO BAMO BAMO, ¿no?

Exactamente

 

[Subway Tennis]

I just hope he stops ear-cupping and being cocky on court and I would love him

Is Alcaraz the player you like most from the nextgen at the moment (besides the ear cupping?) Do you like Rune?

 

[Torben]

He will be the next global superstar and phenomenon of tennis. In the media, he will be tennis, the way they were.
He will single-handedly make tennis popular and be the face of the sport in a way no one has outside of those two. You’ll see his face on billboards worldwide.

Is he as good of a player as Federer or Borg? No. Nor is he ever going to be as good as Sampras, Nadal, Djokovic. But that’s not what makes a superstar; not really.

3 factors led to Borg/Federer being accepted as truly global superstars

#1 - immense success at early age - check. Youngest slam winner and YE #1? Carlos.

#2 - otherworldly athleticism, marketable game that passes the “eye test” for casuals - check. He flies off the screen and plays a dynamic style that is built for hype and highlights. Stadiums are already packed for him.

#3 - most important - vacuum era in tennis - check. They are on their knees for a successor and a face to revitalize the sport - just like the 70s was after Laver/Rosewall retired and Agassi Sampras wound down in the 00s.

mark my words he is going to be the next biggest thing in world sports, on the Tiger Woods level of fame.

There is no question Alcaraz is destined for greatness. He has an incredible talent that comes along rarely in this sport. He is becoming the future of tennis in his own way however, I think it’s way to early to know what his legacy will be. Sure, it’s fun to discuss his future successes but he’s still a teenager. I think we can all agree he will be a huge part in the future of tennis for the next 10-15 years.

To compare him with Borg and Federer is a little difficult at this point. He is fast becoming a global superstar and his popularity is soaring.

Borg brought something special to tennis. He was the first rock star of the game. He brought a unique sense of style, class and above all, charisma unmatched to this day. He has a mystique that still surrounds him to this day. He dawned Italian tennis wear and brought it to the fore of tennis, as he did with his trademark topspin forehand and backhand. His legendary two handed backhand changed the game in a way we will never see again.

I’m not sure how truly comfortable he was with all the attention, admiration and adulation but he did handle it with class.

Federer has a sense of class and style all his own. He has definitely been the most marketable of the three, but I put that down to he himself and the people he had surrounded himself with during his career. That is something for another day. I think his off court success rivals or even surpasses his on court success.

Alcaraz has a long way to go if he is to be revered in the way Borg and Federer have been in their careers. He has good people around him and he has shown everyone he has extraordinary talent to help him along his way in his quest to be one of the greats.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Is Alcaraz the player you like most from the nextgen at the moment (besides the ear cupping?) Do you like Rune?

I'm not really actively watching tennis much anymore tbh, I like Alcaraz and Ruud though

 

[socallefty]

Alcaraz made me a fan after watching him courtside for an hour (that’s all it took to take apart RBA) at IW last year. A couple of posts from March and July showing how much he impressed me. My wife was similarly impressed by him right away also. We are both looking forward to seeing him again on Monday.

Watched Alcaraz and Sinner matches from court side at Indian Wells - I’ve seen Sinner live before, but first time watching Carlos.

- They both hit huge groundstrokes as advertised with good shot tolerance. Alcaraz seems to vary pace better as he can suddenly inject pace on neutral balls and change the point pattern in his favor. He also hits slice more on his BH to change up rallies or play stretch defense.
- They both can hit faster 1st serves than I expected in the 130s.
- They both need to improve serve location targeting and 2nd serves in general. Sinner is taller and maybe has more upside to improve his serve further.
- Carlos is one of the best/fastest movers on tour (reminds you of a young Nadal) whereas Sinner seems to lack the movement that defines top 3 players capable of playing great defense and winning many Slams.
- Carlos has unbelievable touch and apart from great dropshots will only get better at the net where he is willing to come in already to finish points. Sinner in contrast has rock-like hands and is terrible with finesse shots - don’t see him getting great at the net. Carlos has more upside for adding variety to his game to adjust to different surfaces and opponents.
- They both seem mentally tough with good success for their age.
- Alcaraz looks physically strong for his age with very strong legs while Sinner looks scrawny like he doesn’t work out as much in the gym - don’t know if it will affect endurance during 2-week tournaments, summer heat etc. On the other hand, muscular guys sometimes get injured more.

I went into the tournament thinking that Sinner and Alcaraz have a good chance to be the two superstars from their generation. I came away thinking that Alcaraz has much better upside because of his superior movement, variety and finesse. I think he is more of an all-surface threat for the future whereas I would back Sinner only on slow surfaces.

Trust me on this - Alcaraz is the real deal. I’ve been playing and watching a lot of tennis live for more than 40 years. Alcaraz is the first player to take my breath away and make me a fan within one set since the Big 3. He did that at Indian Wells earlier this year.

Fastest since Nadal. Finesse like Santoro. Power baseline game like Djokovic and Federer with ability to inject pace suddenly off neutral balls without missing. Good net game for his age and willingness to come forward. Can serve in the 130s. Huge improvement since 2020 IW in October. No weaknesses.

Once he gets more accurate with his serve and better on returns, he will be Big 3 level and an all-surface threat. Doesn’t have Big 3 level competition amongst his peers so far.

 

[Hypo Crisis]

Fake, overblown accomplishments - checked
Another overhyped youngster - checked
You don't have Federer anymore - checked

Don't have to run at every youngster that knows how to play tennis bcs you don't have your dominant player anymore.

 

[tennis_error]

On topic... Tennis needs new star and Alcaraz is great candidate... Being in Nike camp helps off course... If he do backup hype with results...

 

[MichaelNadal]

Well, this gif is best example of false accusations Novak haters do all the time...

Can't wait to watch Nadal snurfing his ass aroma at every serve, lol, epic stuff to vitnes...

I know, even haters HAVE to watch his matches, pull that chair up close

 

[UnforcedTerror]

I'm not sure why op thinks Carlitos can't be as good as Borg or Bull.

I think by the end of Karl's career, Bull would be considered better than him only on dirt and that's it.

 

[Subway Tennis]

I'm not really actively watching tennis much anymore tbh, I like Alcaraz and Ruud though

That’s sad to hear that you are losing interest. I hope someone comes along who can re-engage your interest in the game. There will never be another Nadal, but maybe someone can come along who brings the same elements to tennis that he did.

 

[Razer]

He will be the next global superstar and phenomenon of tennis. In the media, he will be tennis, the way they were.
He will single-handedly make tennis popular and be the face of the sport in a way no one has outside of those two. You’ll see his face on billboards worldwide.

Is he as good of a player as Federer or Borg? No. Nor is he ever going to be as good as Sampras, Nadal, Djokovic. But that’s not what makes a superstar; not really.

3 factors led to Borg/Federer being accepted as truly global superstars

#1 - immense success at early age - check. Youngest slam winner and YE #1? Carlos.

#2 - otherworldly athleticism, marketable game that passes the “eye test” for casuals - check. He flies off the screen and plays a dynamic style that is built for hype and highlights. Stadiums are already packed for him.

#3 - most important - vacuum era in tennis - check. They are on their knees for a successor and a face to revitalize the sport - just like the 70s was after Laver/Rosewall retired and Agassi Sampras wound down in the 00s.

mark my words he is going to be the next biggest thing in world sports, on the Tiger Woods level of fame.

Are you trolling yet again? If not then I must say, very bad prediction man !

Carlos has NOTHING in him to be even 10% of Federer. Roger was magical and unique, his charm was unique. I donno about Borg, but I can guarantee that Roger is 1 of a kind and this Alcaraz has nothing in him to even be a fraction of Roger's cult status. Roger's effortless game on court without grunting like an animal was 1 reason why he became popular, second reason is his dominance which was insane, Carlos has nothing in him to even approach all these high standards.

Carlos is a modern day Hewitt with a trimmed down physicality of Nadal with 0% charm as Roger, he doesn't even speak english properly, he cannot become an enigma.

 

[MichaelNadal]

The VBrigade's definition of the word epic is totally messed up. Lol

It's directly on point

 

[bobeeto]

Bro trying so hard to kiss carlos on TT

 

[bobeeto]

I’m going with “extreme talent stumped by injury” for the career generalizations

 

[Nadal_Django]

Are you trolling yet again? If not then I must say, very bad prediction man !

Carlos has NOTHING in him to be even 10% of Federer. Roger was magical and unique, his charm was unique. I donno about Borg, but I can guarantee that Roger is 1 of a kind and this Alcaraz has nothing in him to even be a fraction of Roger's cult status. Roger's effortless game on court without grunting like an animal was 1 reason why he became popular, second reason is his dominance which was insane, Carlos has nothing in him to even approach all these high standards.

Carlos is a modern day Hewitt with a trimmed down physicality of Nadal with 0% charm as Roger, he doesn't even speak english properly, he cannot become an enigma.

Dude lost all of his money on bad bets on Nadal in Wimbledon and US Open last year. Yeah, I wouldn't believe that guy if he gave me a weather report.

 

[Razer]

Dude lost all of his money on bad bets on Nadal in Wimbledon and US Open last year. Yeah, I wouldn't believe that guy if he gave me a weather report.

@Kralingen is a good tennis analyst but I am guessing he has not seen Federer's (rise + peak) because he was maybe too young back then. He must be like 13 years old in 2008-09 and Bull was already dominating Federer by then, so by the time he started to understand things properly Federer must already be looking overrated.

Being Federer is not everyone's cup of tea, you need unreal dominance on the court without getting injured, you also need a magnetic personality with some amount of extroversion to be salable to the hoi polloi as well as to the elites alike, this is not something 99.99% of the players can do just because there is a vacuum.

 

[victorcruz]

Carlitos is box office. Every match of his is exciting unless he is injured, whether he dissects someone surgically or drags a 3hr match from some serb that will never have any relevance again

I can tell because my pops is glued to the TV any time his matches are on... and if it ain't fedal or serena, he has had no interest in any matches.

 

[tex123]

He will be the next global superstar and phenomenon of tennis. In the media, he will be tennis, the way they were.
He will single-handedly make tennis popular and be the face of the sport in a way no one has outside of those two. You’ll see his face on billboards worldwide.

Is he as good of a player as Federer or Borg? No. Nor is he ever going to be as good as Sampras, Nadal, Djokovic. But that’s not what makes a superstar; not really.

3 factors led to Borg/Federer being accepted as truly global superstars

#1 - immense success at early age - check. Youngest slam winner and YE #1? Carlos.

#2 - otherworldly athleticism, marketable game that passes the “eye test” for casuals - check. He flies off the screen and plays a dynamic style that is built for hype and highlights. Stadiums are already packed for him.

#3 - most important - vacuum era in tennis - check. They are on their knees for a successor and a face to revitalize the sport - just like the 70s was after Laver/Rosewall retired and Agassi Sampras wound down in the 00s.

mark my words he is going to be the next biggest thing in world sports, on the Tiger Woods level of fame.

Still not good enough for Iga!

 

[tex123]

He is box office. Bye bye big 3-2-1..

And he's only going to get better. That's a scary prospect.

 

[LaVie en Rose]

Borg was good looking unlike 2.Game doesn’t do much for me ,and media/fans hype putting me off.I was always like that

 

[The Fedfather]

The potential is there as his game has the X-factor, for sure. If Carlitos can get to the peak Big 3 level of dominance, he'll likely enjoy enormous popularity. Right now he doesn't seem as transformative for the game as Federer at the top was, but Alcaraz is only 19. Roger at 19 was not doing half of what Alcaraz has done. We'll see. The biggest concern is how often he gets injured.

 

[Clay lover]

Are you trolling yet again? If not then I must say, very bad prediction man !

Carlos has NOTHING in him to be even 10% of Federer. Roger was magical and unique, his charm was unique. I donno about Borg, but I can guarantee that Roger is 1 of a kind and this Alcaraz has nothing in him to even be a fraction of Roger's cult status. Roger's effortless game on court without grunting like an animal was 1 reason why he became popular, second reason is his dominance which was insane, Carlos has nothing in him to even approach all these high standards.

Carlos is a modern day Hewitt with a trimmed down physicality of Nadal with 0% charm as Roger, he doesn't even speak english properly, he cannot become an enigma.

Modern day Hewitt... You haven't watched him play have you

 

[Clay lover]

It's interesting how most Djokovic fans dislike him and predict him to fail...well he's a Spaniard like Nadal but I haven't seen questionable behavior warranting hate

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Alcaraz is great to watch. Just watched his highlights there and very impressive tennis. Great speed around court and has a lot of big weapons already. He just needs to stay fir.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

It's interesting how most Djokovic fans dislike him and predict him to fail...well he's a Spaniard like Nadal but I haven't seen questionable behavior warranting hate

Don’t speak for all of us. I don’t think like that. Plus why would Djokovic fans want him to fail? Djokovic has already won the most in the game so it’s about time the torch is passed to a young superstar like alcaraz. He is great for tennis.

 

[Clay lover]

Don’t speak for all of us. I don’t think like that. Plus why would Djokovic fans want him to fail? Djokovic had already won the most in the game so it’s about time the torch is passed to a young superstar like alcaraz. He is great for tennis.

Well I can name hypo, Django, rick to name but a few but just you on the positive. Note I said most, not all.

kudos to you for staying neutral and objective, but some of your mates? They see a spaniard, they pile on the hate. I rarely generalize, but it's that obvious.

 

[Ombelibable]

Nadal is epic af and he doesn't have to do cringe stuff like this:

I can't stand it lol, sorry.

You forgot the b.o.o.b throws :

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Well I can name hypo, Django, rick, error, to name but a few but just you on the positive. Note I said most, not all.

kudos to you for staying neutral and objective, but some of your mates? They see a spaniard, they pile on the hate. I rarely generalize, but it's that obvious.

Fair enough man. Well in my opinion we want more competition in the game. Having a young, talented and athletic player like alcaraz is great for the game.

Djokovic/Nadal are already at 22 slams each so both them and their fan bases should be beyond happy/satisfied despite hoping for a bit more.

It is going to get harder for them to win soon but that’s natural in mid 30s pushing towards start of later 30s.

The main thing is tennis seems in good hand with alcaraz/sinner and also meddy playing great again and hopefully rune gets better and Zverev/Tsitsipas return to form.

 

[Razer]

Modern day Hewitt... You haven't watched him play have you

Hewitt is not meant in a derogatory way, he was a great player but limited.

5'10 like Hewitt - CHECK
Injury Prone - CHECK
Youngest world number 1 in a weak phase - CHECK
Trimmed down physicality of Nadal - CHECK

Seems like what I described is not wrong, Alcaraz is physically now very close to his peak, will peak physically in an year's time and then will soon deterioate with injuries in 2-3 years after that by the time he reaches 23-24, this will be the pattern because his body structure is not the type that will be dominating Tennis after 25. This is not like the prediction we made for Nadal in mid 2000s, Nadal has a good height at 6'1 & more importantly from day 1 he had the greatest weapon of tennis in this century - His bread and butter Forehad. I don't see any such unique weapons in Alcaraz. What is his GOAT level weapon with which he will be dominating his 20s, let alone 30s ? He has none and it is too late to develop one, the glimpse of that should be there which missing !

 

[Clay lover]

Hewitt is not meant in a derogatory way, he was a great player but limited.

5'10 like Hewitt - CHECK
Injury Prone - CHECK
Youngest world number 1 in a weak phase - CHECK
Trimmed down physicality of Nadal - CHECK

Seems like what I described is not wrong, Alcaraz is physically now very close to his peak, will peak physically in an year's time and then will soon deterioate with injuries in 2-3 years after that by the time he reaches 23-24, this will be the pattern because his body structure is not the type that will be dominating Tennis after 25. This is not like the prediction we made for Nadal in mid 2000s, Nadal has a good height at 6'1 & more importantly from day 1 he had the greatest weapon of tennis in this century - His bread and butter Forehad. I don't see any such unique weapons in Alcaraz. What is his GOAT level weapon with which he will be dominating his 20s, let alone 30s ? He has none!

Alcaraz's forehand and touch already far surpass Hewitt's even as a teenager. Note all you compared are their physiques and tangible facts but NOTHING regarding their games and in-game observations. I agree he may be injury prone, but game-wise there's nothing similar.

Well, time will tell who's right.

 

[Nadal_Django]

Don’t speak for all of us. I don’t think like that. Plus why would Djokovic fans want him to fail? Djokovic has already won the most in the game so it’s about time the torch is passed to a young superstar like alcaraz. He is great for tennis.

Yeah starting with 2023 FO would be wonderful.

 

[Clay lover]

Fair enough man. Well in my opinion we want more competition in the game. Having a young, talented and athletic player like alcaraz is great for the game.

Djokovic/Nadal are already at 22 slams each so both them and their fan bases should be beyond happy/satisfied despite hoping for a bit more.

It is going to get harder for them to win soon but that’s natural in mid 30s pushing towards start of later 30s.

The main thing is tennis seems in good hand with alcaraz/sinner and also meddy playing great again and hopefully rune gets better and Zverev/Tsitsipas return to form.

100% agree with your logic. Djokovic is 99.9% gonna run away with the numbers, so welcoming the new guard to keep things interesting isn't really such a hard thing.

Of course, I'm not saying I hope he stops Djokovic wherever and whenever to break the monopoly - he still has to earn it playing good tennis and the better player deserves to win at the end of the day.

I may have overreacted by calling them out but looking at some of the hateful replies you'd think he's a bum when it's obvious there's something very special about his game and therefore there's no way they're not biased.

Well, time will tell and I'm willing to eat crow if I'm proven wrong.