Mats Wilander has become the latest tennis personality to have received heat from the fans for his opinion on the GOAT debate. The 7-time Grand Slam champion recently predicted that Carlos Alcaraz would go on to become the most popular player in the sport after Roger Federer. The GOAT debate has always been about Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. But Wilander snubbed the Spaniard and the Serb to hype up Alcaraz and place a huge expectation on him.
Wilander, while working for Eurosport during the Monte Carlo Masters 2024, claimed that statistics were not a criteria for the young Spaniard but it is more about the way his presence has shaped the sport. But fans have reminded him on social media that tennis is not a popularity sport but about who wins more and has a great impact on the sport.
Mats Wilander says Carlos Alcaraz could become the 2nd most important player to ever play the sport, after Roger Federer:
“No, I don’t believe that he [Alcaraz] can do that (be world No 1 for 400 weeks). And when I see Carlos Alcaraz play tennis, it reminds me so much of the… pic.twitter.com/kZOH0QTMmk
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 9, 2024
did he forget someone named novak djokovic?
— fedora the explorer (@carellijawn) April 9, 2024
Mostly nonsense
— grrlander (@rutland_2n) April 9, 2024
He tried so hard to turn tennis into beauty and popularity contest. What a pathetic pundit!
— tangxun (@XunTang1) April 9, 2024
Mats Wilander is an absolute disgrace of a man. Eurosport should fire him.
— Novak Goat 2⃣4⃣ (@novak_goat) April 9, 2024
Fans have also begun questioning the legacy of Wilander in the game. His comments come as a surprise also largely because he has been vocal in his support for Rafael Nadal on numerous occasions. Wilander had praised Djokovic too during his 2021 French Open winning campaign. Although again, he outrageously claimed back in the mid-2010s that the Serbian had a chance of being the best player of all time on clay.
Carlos Alcaraz sparks career concerns after injury at Monte Carlo Masters
The 2024 Monte Carlo Masters has seen one of the biggest names exit the event. Alcaraz has withdrawn from the event due to an injury on his right arm. The young Spaniard was set to play against Felix Auger-Aliassime but will now take a rest to recover. It is the second time this season that Alcaraz has been affected by an injury.
The 20-year-old suffered an ankle injury in his right leg during his opening match at the Rio Open. He conceded a walkover after having only played two games in the match.
Despite being ranked No. 3 on the ATP Tour at such a young age, Alcaraz’s career has already been affected by a string of injuries. He has a long way to go if he wants to be among the greatest players of all time.
The 2-time Grand Slam champion will hope to recover soon and play more matches on clay. He has had a bad start to the season this time and needs to be fit for the rest of the year. Alcaraz will have to defend 2000 points for his Wimbledon title this year and also prepare for the Paris Olympics.
