Patrick Mouratoglou on Carlos Alcaraz: "Combines the qualities of the Big Three"
Patrick Mouratoglou, youngster Holger Rune 's neo-coach, spoke about his toughest competitor: Carlos Alcaraz. And sprinkled roses for the 19-year-old.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Oct 18, 2022, 08:39 pm

Patrick Mouratoglou is - it can be said without leaning too far out of the window - with one of those names in the tennis circus who is probably following it most closely. It is therefore only natural that the Frenchman has already formed an extremely precise picture of what makes Carlos Alcaraz a player. Especially since he was able to take tennis by storm this year at the latest.
Nonetheless, it is quite likely that Mouratoglou will intensify his studies from the young Spaniard in the coming weeks and months. Because: with Holger Rune, the star coach has had a player under his wing for a few days, who is considered a serious opponent for Carlos Alcaraz. As a man who could probably compete for the biggest titles in sport with Alcaraz in the future. And Mouratoglou will support the Dane to the best of his ability.
Alcaraz combines attributes of the "Big Three"
From this point of view, the Frenchman recently gave a more in-depth assessment of Carlos Alcaraz's current status: "He combines the qualities of the three greatest players of all time"; Mouratoglou explained to TennisMajors. "I think his game is the most similar to Federer's. Like him, he's super aggressive and super creative, he's always trying to do something with the ball. The speed at which he's able to hit the ball from behind Space to go, that's pure Roger," said the Frenchman.
But the virtues of the other two representatives of the Big Three can also be found in the Spaniard: "At the same time, he has Djokovic's counter-attacking qualities. And he can play long rallies with a lot of spin, like Nadal. In addition, he serves very well for his size and very returned well," emphasizes Mouratoglou. And yet the 19-year-old is not untouchable. Especially because there are always smaller phases of weakness in the youngster's game.
Alcaraz opens in Basel
Marc Barbier, the coach of another youngster, Frenchman Hugo Gaston, agrees: "We don't know how far he'll get, but it's certain that he has the means to change the game or at least bring new things into play bring game," states the Frenchman. "I think he's much more complete than Rafael Nadal at the same age. But that doesn't mean he'll set the same record. We don't know how he'll react to the success. Maybe after a few Grand Slams he'll get tired or be injured. But if everything goes well, he has no limit."
As is well known, the 19-year-old Alcaraz already has a Grand Slam title under his belt, and with his triumph in Flushing Meadows the Iberian also crowned himself the youngest number one of all time. Recently, however, the Spaniard was only able to confirm these successes to a limited extent, in Astana the youngster had to admit defeat in round one in his only appearance on the ATP tour since the US Open. Next chance for rehabilitation: Basel. Where, by the way, Holger Rune - and thus Patrick Mouratoglou - will also be represented.