The French Open men’s final title match is underway. John McEnroe joins the Carlos Alcaraz bandwagon at the Paris, as he plays the German Alexander Zverev for his maiden French Open title. And to extend his major tally to 3 while being the youngest player on all three surfaces. Whether Alvarez would be able to overcome Zverev’s challenge would be out in a few hours. But the former World No.1 John McEnroe has already made massive claims about the 21-year-old Roland Garros finalist.
Whole of the Paris is rallying behind Spain to take the trophy home, which they have claimed for 14-times through Rafael Nadal. Now they want Carlos Alcaraz to emulate the champion’s feat. McEnroe has always been vocal about his favoritism for the young Spanish sensation on numerous occasions. And he did the same at Paris, before the beginning of the match, when he was asked about Alcaraz’s form. The 2-time Grand Slam champion had been struggling to regain his form at the clay court since the beginning. And it was during the semifinals against Jannie Sinner that the World No.3 assured his fans that he was back!
When asked about the same, the recent winner of the French Legion of Honour award drew comparison with Sinner and Djokovic’s form at the beginning of the tournament. Only Zverev was in his 100% capability to fight for the slam. However, the veteran tennis star reiterated his preference for Alcaraz and said, “I gotta say it, I’ve said it before, Carlos Alcaraz is my favorite player to watch. He is the most skilled, young man I’ve ever seen play at this age. And hopefully, it’s hard to imagine. He can keep improving, because he is so good at everything already but he is better than Federer, Nadal and Djokovic at 21 to me. So, it’s amazing.”
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Carlos Alcaraz is on track to be the best player men’s tennis has ever seen. At just 21 years and 34 days, the Spaniard has reached major finals on all three surfaces — becoming the youngest to do so in history. If he claims the French Open title he would create history by being the youngest player to stand at the top in all the courts! A marvelous feat to achieve at the age of just 21.
"He’s better than Federer, Nadal and Djokovic at 21." 😳
John McEnroe is full of praise for Carlos Alcaraz 🤝#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/YYervy1LPP
— Eurosport (@eurosport) June 9, 2024
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However, John McEnroe is not the only former tennis star who is pitching for the Spaniard to win the French Open. But Andy Roddick also thinks the same. “…I love what Carlos does on clay. I think he’s going to win a lot of French Open titles. We’ll see if that starts this year or not, but I certainly like that transition for him.” While everyone wishes for Alcaraz to win, the 21-year-old is busy preparing for his finale in Rafa style!
Carlos Alcaraz opens up about his Superstitious side before the showdown
Carlos has been open about Rafa being his idol since the beginning. It seems that the World No.3 not only wants his name written in the same line as Rafa for the Grand Slams, but he has also caught this similar habit of his idol. He likes to repeat things, and have a routine before the matches even if they are nonsense.
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“Well, I usually do the same routine before the match,” the two-time Grand Slam champion had said ahead of facing Novak Djokovic in the semi-final of the 2023 ATP Finals. “Probably repeat some things that I’m doing. If I win, I would like to repeat a few things. Probably same restaurant, same people, let’s say same seats. I don’t know. I do the same routine.”
Though it may not be the superstitious side but a routine to calm the nerves. But whatever works for the young player! He must have followed some routine before his match with Zverev, did you notice it? Do let us know in the comments!