Carlos Alcaraz praised by seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe for impact on sport - 'The best thing to happen to tennis in 10 years'
Updated 20/10/2026 at 14:55 GMT+1
Carlos Alcaraz is "the best thing to happen to tennis in 10 years", according to seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe, who labelled the Spaniard his "favourite player" in an interview in Madrid.
Alcaraz: Moustache is here to stay after Tokyo triumph
Video credit: SNTV
Alcaraz is back in action after a long absence with a wrist injury, winning the Japan Open earlier this month to end his trophy drought.
The world No. 3 - who has already matched McEnroe's total singles Grand Slam triumphs at the age of 23 - lost to Zizou Bergs in the Shanghai Masters last week as he looks to regain his consistency.
But McEnroe made clear his admiration for Alcaraz.
"He's the best, Carlos is the best," the former world No. 1 said in an interview on Spanish talk show 'La Revuelta'. "He's my favourite player.
"I'm not saying this just because I'm in Madrid. Carlos Alcaraz is the best thing to happen to tennis in 10 years. Unbelievable.
"We're lucky to have him. He's my favourite player to watch right now. I'm happy he's playing again because it was not good for tennis that he was out."
McEnroe was also asked about the health of Spanish tennis as a whole, with Rafael Jodar - who lost to fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final of the Shanghai Masters on Sunday - another promising young player aiming to follow in the footsteps of all-time great Rafael Nadal, who retired in 2024 with 22 Grand Slams to his name.
"Nadal changed everything," he said. "Carlos Moya won one [Grand Slam], but Rafa Nadal came on and changed Spanish tennis.
"I didn't think this would happen. How does this happen? America hasn't had a male win a major tournament in 23 years. Rafa himself won 22. And now Carlos has seven."
Alcaraz will be looking to make it eight Grand Slams as he builds towards the Australian Open at the start of 2027.
After winning the Japan Open, he reflected on his spell out with injury, having missed almost five months of action.
"Obviously a lot of negative thoughts come to your mind," Alcaraz said. "If you are going to come back healthy, if you are going to come back the same as I was before, if I will be able to hit the ball normally without pain at all.
"A lot of thoughts came to my mind, but I tried to put those thoughts away all the time. My team and I knew that if I come back, I was going to feel 100%.
"If I feel something, [the comeback is] not going to be anything, so I just have to go full for every shot, every ball, and I trust [my team], I trust myself, and it worked out."
- 'I gave everything' - Jodar reacts to defeat in Shanghai final in front of Federer
- 'I'm not a robot' - Zverev explains surprise Shanghai defeat
- 'I can retire, I don't care' - Medvedev threatens to quit semi-final in umpire row
'The most beautiful player I've ever watched'
McEnroe also turned his attention to Roger Federer, who he described as "the most beautiful player I've ever watched play tennis".
"I was with Roger in London at the Laver Cup," he said. "I sat next to him, we talked. He's the best, the classiest guy you could meet.
"Rafa Nadal is the best effort player I've ever seen; I've never seen a person try as hard as he did every single point. That's the best quality you can ask for in an athlete."
The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is HBO Max, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes live sport and entertainment in one destination.
Watch and stream top tennis action, including the Australian Open and French Open, live with TNT Sports on HBO Max
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement