"Carlos Alcaraz is combination of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic & Andre Agassi all wrapped in one"- Serena Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci
Serena Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci has described Carlos Alcaraz as a combination of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi.
The legendary coach reckons that Alcaraz has a "drop shot from outer space". He also thinks the tennis world has never seen anything like what the two-time Grand Slam champion brings to the court.
Macci, a seven-time USPTA national coach of the year, went on to claim that Alcaraz's speed was better than everyone's and that he would go on to win several Grand Slams.
"Alcaraz, we've never seen anything like this. We've never seen it. He is a combination of, I tell everybody, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Agassi all wrapped in one. He has make-up speed like no other. Once he hits that other gear his turbo speed is amazing," Macci said on the Match Point Canada podcast.
"He has a drop shot from outer space. He has missed more drop shots as a kid than anybody who has played tennis because he has tried more - and whoever coached him as a kid would not discourage that," the veteran coach added.
The 68-year-old American also said Carlos Alcaraz was the "leader of the clubhouse" who could win an "unreal" number of Grand Slam titles.
"I think, he is going to get such a bucket of Grand Slams, it's unreal. I feel, in my opinion, he is by far, the leader in the clubhouse," Macci said.
A look back at Carlos Alcaraz's phenomenal 2023 season
After missing the Australian Open due to injury, Carlos Alcaraz clinched the Argentina Open with a win over Cameron Norrie in the final. He then lost the Rio Open final a week later, to the same opponent.
Alcaraz went on to beat Daniil Medvedev in the finals of the Indian Wells Masters, before losing to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Miami Open.
A straight-sets win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the finals helped Alcaraz reign supreme in Barcelona. A week after that, Jan-Lennard Struff failed to stop the 20-year-old in the title round at Madrid.
Alcaraz suffered a shock defeat to Fabian Marozsan in the second round of the Italian Open. This was followed by a loss to Novak Djokovic in the Roland Garros semifinals; the Spaniard suffered from cramps in the latter half of that match.
But Alcaraz came good at the Queen's Club Championships, defeating Alex de Minaur in the final. He then put to rest all doubts with regard to his grasscourt credentials by beating Djokovic in an epic Wimbledon final.
Tommy Paul ended Alcaraz's run in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open, while Djokovic triumphed against the player from El Palmar in the Cincinnati Masters final.
Carlos Alcaraz then fell to Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the New York Major. Later, Jannik Sinner halted the Spaniard's progress in the China Open semifinals.
A third-round loss to Grigor Dimitrov in Shanghai was followed by a first-round exit in Paris-Bercy for Alcaraz. The 20-year-old then went down to Djokovic in the ATP Finals semifinals.