Carlos Alcaraz has won over Andy Roddick with his irresistible smile and sunny disposition! Has the tennis world found a new hero? The former U.S. Open champion, Roddick, thinks so. After all, the four-time Grand Slam champion has proved once again that he is not to be messed with, be it grass or clay, collecting applause from every sports fan. The veteran has also sung the Wimbledon champion’s praises, even when it involved trolling himself.

“I don’t know my limit,” Carlos Alcaraz once confessed when asked about how many Grand Slams he wants to win. It seems that the 21-year-old player has a long way to go, and the second consecutive Wimbledon title has suited him quite well on that journey. His opponent, Novak Djokovic, has already admitted that he “was at least half a step better than I was in every way.” Now, it is time for Roddick, who has further added another glowing endorsement of Alcaraz’s unstoppable rise. In the July 15 episode of the podcast, “Served,” he underlined his charismatic personality along with his dominating tennis skills. “He’s insanely fun to watch,” Roddick began.

“And he’s happy, and he’s respectful. He’s a steward of the game. And it seems was like he doesn’t really have bad days with media or opponents. I don’t remember him getting chippy with an opponent,” the 41-year-old American continued. The former American player, known for his fiery personality during his playing days, humorously acknowledged his own shortcomings and put Alcaraz on a higher pedestal. “I can’t say that I was; I was the worst. I had to do it because I had to like if I felt like I had to do that to try to win. He doesn’t need to do that stuff.”

Remember Roddick’s angry outbursts at the chair umpire at Indian Wells in 2011? Sadly, it’s not the only one he had in his tennis career. Another time in a Madrid Open match, he smashed his racquet in frustration after losing a point. Apart from that, his heated argument with the chair umpire in the 2001 U.S. Open quarterfinals was another highlight of that match. Besides, a few days ago, while talking about Daniil Medvedev’s outburst at the umpire, the former tennis pro admitted, “If I was losing to someone I should have been losing to and I had to get into a fight with an umpire, create some sort of thing as long as it’s within the rules I would do it.”

However, in complete contrast, Carlos Alcaraz follows a distinct path. “I try to be friendly, warm and get on with everyone. It’s more important to be a good person than anything else. At the end of my career, I’d like people to remember me, more than as a tennis player, as someone with good values,” the French Open winner once said. When he is in a competition, the four-time Grand Slam champion might be on fire but he believes in leaving the anger of the match on the battleground itself. And he previously stated how it helps him keep in touch with a social life apart from a professional one.

Carlos Alcaraz on why he is “opposite” to other competitors on tour

Screaming and uproars in tennis might be against the rule, but even the greatest legends of the sport, like Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal, could not avoid that road. But the young player, Carlos Alcaraz, does not agree with such demeanors. His vision extends beyond the chaos of the tennis court. “At the end of the day, you only spend a few hours a day on court. The rest of your life, you’re off it. That’s why at those times I also try to use the manners that my parents taught me,” said the Wimbledon champion.

No wonder, his biggest rivals on-court are the closest friends to him on the tour, the biggest example is Jannik Sinner, the World No. 1. Emphasizing his outlook on the matter, he further stated, “There are players who get more serious in competition, and off court they are distant. I’m the opposite, I try to get on with everyone…At the end of the day, they are people I’ll spend the whole year with. Not getting along with those people is no use at all.” While some appreciate his sporting talent, others praise him for his sportsmanship. Either way, Carlos Alcaraz is reigning over the hearts of everyone!