Novak Djokovic’s Former Coach Dissects Carlos Alcaraz’s Rafael Nadal ‘Burden’ Two Months After the Young Spaniard Matched His Experienced Compatriot’s 2006 Feat

Boris Becker, a former coach of Novak Djokovic, said recently that the Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz is a breath of fresh air. Becker has applauded the tennis prowess of the Spanish prodigy Alcaraz who has really impressed one and all with his talent and grit. Ever since the 20-year-old powerhouse burst out onto the scene, he has been creating ripples with his phenomenal tennis, winning the US Open 2022 at only 19 years of age. And Boris Becker, who also knows a thing or two about winning a slam as a teenager, rates Alcaraz very highly.

Former world no.1 and six-time grand slam champion Boris Becker, has talked about the next generation of tennis players coming up. He has spoken about the exciting crop of players like Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner as well. He foresees a great future in both of them, but he massively commends the skill and tenacity of the world no.1, Carlos Alcaraz more than anyone else.

Boris Becker’s special praise for Carlos Alcaraz

Boris Becker won his first grand slam at the age of 17. But after that, he couldn’t achieve much of what was expected of him. He could win only up to 5 grand slams after that. But Alcaraz could achieve a lot more if he keeps this level of play and stays fit. Becker says that even when he first saw Alcaraz play, he could see that Alcaraz was s ‘special player’.

Becker said, “ When I first saw him play I could see he was something special.  He’s not just a talented young player, he’s already the world No.1. It’s very difficult to win your first Grand Slam, especially as a teenager. It’s even harder to win again.  But Alcaraz is already a dominating presence in tennis–and that’s coming from Spain, where they have a guy called Nadal. It’s quite a heavy burden to carry, but he does so with ease. Nadal won his first Slam at 19. So did Alcaraz. Nadal won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award in 2006 and it was only fitting that Alcaraz won it this year, 2023, after picking up his first Grand Slam, the US Open, in 2022″.

Boris said that dominating a sport at the age of 20 is not something easy and Alcaraz has done it. Alcaraz also comes from Spain where the legendary Rafael Nadal hails from and that’s some burden to carry. Nadal won his first Grand Slam at the age of 19 and so did Alcaraz and both won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award at the same age.

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Boris Becker also made some remarks about some of the other next generation of players that have come in like Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune.

Boris Becker’s take on the next generation of players

The former coach of Djokovic has said that Djokovic’s game has changed since the last time he coached and it was a necessity because of the next generation of players. However, the next generation has got a lot to improve, says Becker. He says that two particular players caught his attention and they are Sinner and Rune. According to Becker, Sinner possesses all the ingredients to become a successful tennis player as he is a man of all surfaces. Rune is also of the same mold, but he is a bit more aggressive.

Appreciation of this nature coming from a legend like Boris Becker is exactly something that Alcaraz would need to push him deep this Wimbledon. His fans would be hoping that he performs at a really high level and wins the much-desired Wimbledon trophy for the first time.

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