Carlos Alcaraz created history on Sunday by becoming the first man from Spain after the great Rafael Nadal to win the Wimbledon men’s singles title. The World No.1 defeated the 7-time Wimbledon champion, Novak Djokovic in the final in a 5-set thriller, 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
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The 20-year-old Spaniard was already considered widely as the player to succeed Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer when it comes to dominating the tennis circuit in the future. With this win, Alcaraz is bound to invite comparisons not just with the Big Three and some of his competitors but also sportspersons from other fields. And tennis legend John McEnroe had joined in the chorus with quite a take on Carlos Alcaraz.
John McEnroe makes big claim about Carlos Alcaraz, compares him with NFL star
In a media interaction back in April, John McEnroe said that Carlos Alcaraz reminded him of NFL star, Patrick Mahomes who is famous for being the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback. This is because Mahomes has the balance of being physically and mentally fit, which makes him succeed often in one of the top sporting leagues in the world.
A few months ago, while we were talking tennis and football together, John McEnroe put Carlos Alcaraz into perspective for me: “He’s Patrick Mahomes.” McEnroe’s point wasn’t merely noting Alcaraz is a young phenom. He explained Alcaraz has every tool, physically and mentally.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) July 16, 2023
It is an interesting comparison as both the players have similar heights. Mahomes is 6 foot 2 inches tall, while Alcaraz is 6 foot tall. On the other hand, Mahomes is 225 pounds in weight while Alcaraz weighs 163 pounds. However, when McEnroe made these comments about Alcaraz, he had only won the US Open 2022 title and became the youngest No.1 on the ATP Tour soon after. Winning the Wimbledon is surely going to vindicate McEnroe’s beliefs and safe to say, would make him the American tennis legend’s favorite player.
Alcaraz proves idol Roger Federer correct as well
During the Wimbledon 2023, Roger Federer had given an interview with veteran BBC presenter, Sue Barker. Responding to claims that Alcaraz is a ‘sick combination’ of himself, Nadal and Djokovic, Federer was stunned but was full of praise for the World No.1.
Federer predicted that Alcaraz is a player to watch out for as he is achieving some wonderful things for someone his age and always goes into any tournament, even a Grand Slam with the mentality of coming back home as the tournament winner irrespective of the opponent in front of him.
