Former world No. 1 Martina Navratilova dropped a big praise on Carlos Alcaraz, calling the 19-year-old Spaniard “a better version of Novak Djokovic.”
Djokovic is one of the greatest players in tennis history, while Alcaraz is one of the most exciting prospects in a long time.
Alcaraz, who turned 19 this week, won a Masters and reached the top-10 as an 18-year-old.
The general expectation is that Alcaraz will win multiple Grand Slams and reach the world No. 1 ranking.
Some even think Alcaraz could potentially reach the Grand Slam mark set by the Big Three.
“For me he’s a better version of Djokovic. He moves like Novak but he hits a better ball out wide. More powerful than I’ve ever seen. He’s defying the laws of gravity out there,” Navratilova said on Prime Video Sport.
Building up to Alcaraz vs. Djokovic on @PrimeVideoSport, Martina Navratilova just said to Catherine:
‘For me he’s a better version of Djokovic. He moves like Novak but he hits a better ball out wide. More powerful than I’ve ever seen. He’s defying the laws of gravity out there.’
— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) May 7, 2022
Alcaraz praised by Djokovic
When asked about Alcaraz in Madrid, Djokovic called him a special player.
What Alcaraz has been doing this year has caught the attention of many, including the attention of 20-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic.
“Well, there is a lot of things that are special about him. I mean, he has broken a lot of records as the youngest player, top 10, obviously in the recent decades, because we had some amazing champions like Michael Chang when he was 16, you know, won a slam and so forth,” Djokovic said of Alcaraz.
“But, you know, nowadays we are not used to seeing somebody who is teenager and already getting to top 10 and playing on such a high level. His growth, his improvement, and his journey particularly the last six months has been amazing.”
As the Big Three era is slowly coming to an end, the men’s tennis needs a new face to lead the game.
Many believe Alcaraz has what it takes to succeed the Big Three and be the new face in the men’s game.