John McEnroe questions if Carlos Alcaraz can match Federer and Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz returned to competitive tennis at the US Open following a four-and-a-half-month absence due to a wrist injury, reaching the quarterfinals before losing a five-set match to Ben Shelton. The American player secured a 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7) victory in a contest lasting four hours and twenty-eight minutes.

Grand Slam Ambitions Confront Heavy Hitters

Speaking on the podcast Off Court, John McEnroe analyzed the matchup and questioned whether Alcaraz can reach the Grand Slam title tallies of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Federer finished his career with 20 men’s singles major titles, while Djokovic holds the men’s record with 24 trophies. Alcaraz has captured seven Grand Slam titles at age 23, earlier securing the Australian Open to become the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam.

McEnroe argued that the modern men’s tour features an abundance of powerful players capable of disrupting the Spaniard’s game.

One of the reasons for which it will be, in my eyes, so difficult for Carlos to get close to Novak and Roger in terms of Grand Slam titles is that there are more very powerful players, like Shelton, capable of delivering incredible matches and, in some cases, taking the racket out of Carlos Alcaraz’s hands and frustrating him.

John McEnroe

McEnroe added that Alcaraz showed minimal rust during his New York return.

If you watched him play, he didn’t seem to have missed much rhythm. The lack of competition, if we can call it that, mainly manifested itself against a better player, who was playing the best match of his life.

John McEnroe

Physical Recovery and Praise in New York

Despite the defeat, Alcaraz expressed satisfaction with his physical condition after months away from the tour.

In the fifth set, I started to feel better and better. But you know, I was playing against one of the… He’s a beast. Shelton is an incredible player, very powerful. He just managed to play very, very well in all situations: you have to give him credit. But you know, I leave the court happy. I leave it with a smile, in good health, and that’s exactly what I needed.

Carlos Alcaraz

McEnroe previously praised the Spaniard's completeness and shot selection, noting that Alcaraz attempts high-risk plays such as drop shots and net approaches during deciding points. McEnroe remarked that Alcaraz stands just next to Roger as the most complete player he has witnessed at that age.

Alcaraz Wins Japan Open Title Before Shanghai Masters

The Spanish player next travels to the Shanghai Masters to continue his Asian swing and accumulate ranking points following his lengthy layoff.