Alcaraz
Richard Gasquet is a French professional tennis player with a beautiful backhand. He has been as high as number 7 in the world. He has long been one of my favorite players.
At 16, Gasquet became the world’s number one junior tennis player. Many thought he would become number one in the world with time, good coaching, and a bit of luck. Andre Agassi was not one of those people. Agassi hit with Gasquet when the Frenchman was a teen, and Agassi was asked about the young man’s prospects. Agassi was quick to say that not only would Gasquet never reach number one, but he also would never win a major championship. Why? Foot speed. Gasquet didn’t have enough. Talent becomes irrelevant when a player’s feet don’t move fast enough. That is a simple fact.
That brings me to Carlos Alcaraz, a Spanish teen who just became the number one tennis player in the world. The ATP rankings say so. I have heard about Alcaraz for a while now; the reports have been unbelievable. People have been saying that Alcaraz combines the best attributes of Roger Federer, Raphael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. I had a hard time understanding this…until I saw him play.
Alcaraz is a tennis prodigy, Mozart in shorts. He is clever, tough, and, yes, fast…very fast. His movement around the court is astonishing. I am still trying to process what this teenager can do on the tennis court. He is unlike anything I have ever seen.
Perhaps the most impressive attribute Alcaraz has is his ability to wave off pressure. The big points seem to mean very little to him; they are treated the same as any other. He plays with joy and a sense of purpose. He is creative and confident. I suspect he will win many, many more major titles.
The best athletes in the world can get tight during big moments. We all have seen great tennis players choke and shrink during critical points in a match. Alcaraz appears to do the opposite; he embraces the challenge. His calm and coolness under pressure are astonishing. I am a little confused by how good he is at his age. He is something special.
Not a tennis fan? Couldn’t care less about sports in general? If this describes you, I recommend you follow the career of Carlos Alcaraz, a Spanigh teenage who has the chance to become one of the greatest athletes ever. The reincarnation of Mozart has arrived, but not in the guise of a guitar-slinging punk rocker. This one wields a tennis racquet unusually and provocatively. I have never seen anything like him, and I can’t wait to see where his inexplicable talent leads him.
