"He is yet again another step in the evolution of tennis, there is no glitch" - Journalist Peter Bodo on Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz caused a major upset at the Madrid Open by getting the better of Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. The 19-year-old will face World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for a place in the final of the Masters 1000 event. Alcaraz has won three titles this year and has broken into the top 10 while still in his teens.
The Spaniard's spectacular rise has been the subject of a lot of deliberation and tennis journalist Peter Bodo has been keeping a close eye on the 19-year-old's progress.
Speaking on Tennis Channel's Inside-In show, Bodo was of the opinion that Alcaraz was "another step in the evolution of tennis and tennis players". According to Bodo, the Spaniard had no chinks in his armor whatsoever.
"The thing with him that is kind of interesting is that he is yet again another step in the evolution of tennis and tennis players in that he is totally solid," Bodo said.
"There is no glitch. There is no hitch - to the point that it is hard to get a handle on him exactly as to what his game is. Partly because he is still developing and partly because he is so solid."
Bodo was of the opinion that an opponent's coach would presumably find a flaw in Alcaraz's game at somne point in the future, but until then playing him would be a scary prospect.
"So, either you find that magical tactical flaw that you can exploit - like he does not hit his low backhand cross court well or on service if he is very vulnerable to the body serve - I dont know," he added.
"These are things that presumably some other coach will notice. Until you get to that point, it is kind of scary. He is solid and in every sense he looks like almost like a next-generation Nadal."
What can stop Carlos Alcaraz's ascent?
Over the course of the podcast, Bodo was asked what obstacles could possibly stop Alcaraz's rise.
The writer said that he saw no immediate obstacles, but suggested it would be interesting to see how the youngster copes with adversity in the future.
"I cannot identify any obstacles, but what you can say is that like the rest of us, these players are always changing as their careers go on."
He added that when younger players start strong, it's easier for them to build momentum and confidence and play really well.
"When they start strong and they start young and they are really hungry and the world is your oyster basically as they are the darlings of the crowd, it's easy to build that momentum and just sort of get locked in and get off to a blazing start."
Bodo suggested that obstacles, however, do come up, in the form of controversies, emotional issues and personal problems. He added that the 19-year-old will likely face some obstacles that will indicate how mature he is.
"But, then things do come up. You get into a controversy or you have an emotional thing going, a partner from the opposite sex and you get into these situations. You dont know how players are going to react as they mature. "
"At some point he is going to face adversity. Then you see how he reacts and how flexible he is."