TENNIS | Agassi heaps praise on Alcaraz but with a dose of caution

Carlos Alcaraz receives praise from Andre Agassi for his tennis skills, likened to Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer.

What sportspersons covet the most is the respect of their peers and appreciation from past champions. In a short career, Carlos Alcaraz has received plenty of it, and on Wednesday, he got another healthy dose from none other than Andre Agassi, albeit with a sprinkling of caution.

“Alcaraz defends like Novak [Djokovic], has power and spin like [Rafael] Nadal, and has hands and finesse like [Roger] Federer,” Agassi said, on the sidelines of the TiE Global Summit 2024 here. “But just because he has the best of all three doesn’t mean he can do what they did. Decision-making, injuries and luck... there are so many things”.

But one thing everyone will agree on is that Alcaraz, along with Jannik Sinner, has ushered in a brand-new era. And after Nadal’s retirement, 24-time Slam winner Djokovic is the last man standing from the previous generation.

“I think he’ll run out of energy more than capability, especially when the people you came to the dance with have left,” Agassi said of Djokovic. “When Pete [Sampras] retired, I had to rediscover my inspiration. Djokovic has lost the guys he made history with. Emotionally it’s tougher. But I would never bet against him”.

Agassi was part of a golden generation of American singles players in the 1990s that won multiple Majors. But since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open, the United States hasn’t had one. The eight-time Slam winner, however, believes this could soon change.

“We [have] got five guys in the top 20 [sic: 25], and I think you need each other to succeed. In my group, I was the first one to turn professional, and I made [Michael] Chang, Pete, [Jim] Courier believe.

“Chang was the first one to win [1989 French Open]. He made Pete believe that he could win. He then made Courier believe. And Courier said, ‘well, I can be No. 1 in the world’. We all helped each other, and I think these Americans are now starting to prove [the same]”.