Let’s not joke ourselves, Carlos Alcaraz‘s grind has brought his competitors to a halt. Naturally, being young, feisty, and glorious on the tour does that. The Spanish sensation has been commended by many personalities, but none has connected his aura with a late 90s star. However, Coco Gauff’s ex-coach Brad Gilbert laid bare the Spaniard’s game, comparing his style with an American legend.

After enduring dropped form at the Northern American swing, Alcaraz overcame his slumber and registered noteworthy results on the tour. Producing a dominating show at the China Open, the 21-year-old reached the event’s summit clash wherein he finessed arch-rival and World No. 1 Jannik Sinner to lift his 4th ATP crown of the season. Impressed with the duo’s thrilling encounter, Gilbert made a surprising admission, notably, relating Alcaraz’s swift on-court movements with John McEnroe.

Taking to social media, Gilbert highlighted that the former World No. 1 reminds him of a young McEnroe – ‘productively-abled’ to carry on the former American star’s energy into his contests. Furthermore, Gauff’s ex-coach also heaped praise upon the Spaniard’s well-curated skills, which helped him exact revenge on the Italian No. 1 in Beijing. “Watching replay escape from Alcaraz, thinking about his creativity and movement at the net is simply amazing. someone else at the same age was so good at that Johney Mac.” For those unaware, McEnroe earned laurels in the sport with his accomplishments and of course, with his raging on-court antics.

The three-time ATP Player of the Year, nicknamed ‘Superbrat’ – McEnroe showcased his athletic prowess to clinch 77 singles tour-level titles and, with it, nine Grand Slam wins. Upon retirement, the American icon lends his expertise by working as a commentator for various sporting channels. Comparing Alcaraz with McEnroe might be a bit of a stretch at this stage, but this wasn’t the first time Gilbert extended his praise to the Spaniard.

Brad Gilbert labels Carlos Alcaraz’s rivalry with Jannik Sinner as the ‘gold standard’ of tennis

Brad Gilbert was more than just impressed with Carlos Alcaraz’s impressive display in Beijing. The Spaniard overcame a one-set deficit to register a comeback victory over Jannik Sinner. Thrilled with his performance, Gauff’s former coach admitted not getting acquainted with the nerving rivalry between the two ATP stars so soon after the Big 3.

Taking to his official X handle, Gilbert wrote “After 20 years of amazing matches from the big 3 didn’t think it was possible this soon to have another amazing rivalry, Escape from Alcaraz vs Sin City is the gold standard in tennis. Here’s to the next 10 years of these 2 with tons of great matches, hopefully, Wada doesn’t mess it up.”

No rest for Alcaraz though as the four-time Major champion has already commenced his campaign in another tournament, that’s Shanghai Masters. Having won the opening round, the Spaniard is slated to lock horns with home-favorite Wu Yibing on Sunday, October 6.