“Carlos Alcaraz possesses the Best of the Big 3”, Australian doubles legend Todd Woodbridge heaps praise on the young Spaniard
Todd Woodbridge believes that World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is the best version of the Big 3 of tennis.
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Todd Woodbridge and Carlos Alcaraz (Image via Instagram)
Carlos Alcaraz was already on an upward incline when he suddenly became a household name by winning his maiden Grand Slam singles title at this year’s US Open. At 19 years, 4 months, and 6 days old, he overtook Australian Lleyton Hewitt as the youngest man to be ranked no.1 in the history of ATP Rankings. He has also collected titles in the ATP 500 and Masters 1000 circuit.
His achievements (and nationality) have led to comparisons being drawn between himself and Rafael Nadal. Recently, retired doubles legend Todd Woodbridge said that he believes Alcaraz has the best qualities of each of the Big 3 players i.e Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. Woodbridge is the former World No.1 in doubles, having collected 16 majors in doubles and 7 in mixed doubles, respectively. He has also won the Tour Finals and Olympic Gold and Silver medals in the doubles category.
The retired Australian spoke to The Telegraph about the upcoming major event in his country. When talking about the nextGen and Alcaraz in specific, he said “Carlos has the best of Big 3 style. He has Federer’s volleys, Nadal’s tenacity, and Djokovic’s on-court movement. Put it together, it’s an impressive package, but I want to see how he handles being number one and having won the US Open. He is still maturing, as an athlete and as a man.”
Woodbridge believes that Alcaraz and his generation of players aren’t afraid of the Big 3, and are set to take them on. “The quality of tennis that young people are playing, especially what we saw at the US Open, excites me. I thought it would take Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, and Jannik Sinner longer to take on the Big 3, but the younger generation isn’t afraid of them” he emphasized.
Carlos Alcaraz’s year at a glance:
In 2022, the Spanish sensation won 5 titles which include his maiden Grand Slam. He defeated Casper Ruud in the US Open finale. It was Alcaraz’s first appearance in a major final. His other titles include the Madrid and Miami Masters, and the Barcelona and Rio Open. He has a 57-13 win-loss record this year.
Alcaraz has won 9 encounters against fellow Top 10 players this year. After riding a high, the youngster had to abruptly end his season following an abdominal injury. Despite this, he has voted the Most Improved Player of the Year at the 2022 ATP Awards.
Having eclipsed his peers with a solid performance this year, Alcaraz ends 2022 as the World No.1. One can only wonder how long he holds on to this spot?
Also Read: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga reveals why he considers Andy Murray as his toughest opponent out of the Big 4
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