Carlos Alcaraz "really inspires" young players on tour, says history-maker Shang Juncheng
Shang Juncheng stated that he looks up to and feels inspired by World No. 1 and US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Juncheng became the first men's Chinese player to win an Australian Open main draw singles match. With his win over Germany's Oscar Otte, he emulated Alcaraz by becoming the first player since the Spaniard to win a Grand Slam match aged 17.
In his post-match press conference, the Chinese star mentioned that he watches Carlos Alcaraz's matches and labeled him as the "best player in the world."
"Yeah, I mean, after hearing this I think it's quite a big accomplishment. Looking up to Carlos, he's one of, I mean, he's the best player in the world right now. I mean, just watching him play on the court really inspires me, inspires the young, young players. So to do this, it's very special for me," Juncheng said.
He continued by mentioning that the win was "one of the best moments of his life" but stated that everything was a learning process for him.
"I think overall this whole week was different for me, playing my first slam, every day I was pretty nervous getting on the court. But at the same time, it's one of the best moments I have had so far in my career, so I'm like I said, I'm just very excited to be on the court, and everything is a learning process for me. I'm just super happy to be here," he added.
Rafael Nadal gives his verdict on the next-gen of tennis including Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud
Rafael Nadal mentioned that it would be difficult for the next-gen of tennis, namely Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud, to emulate the dominance of the 'Big 3'.
In his pre-tournament presser, the 22-time Major champion stated that he couldn't predict the future but claimed that it would be difficult for the next generation to dominate the sport.
"I can't predict the future. Some of the names that you named, they are super good...If we start talking about achieving 22 Grand Slams, 21, 20, I mean, it's a big deal," Nadal said.
"That can happen, yes. Why not?" he added. "But at the same time never happened in the past. Will not be easy that happen two generations in a row. That's just putting the logical perspective on the room, no?" he added.