Carlos Alcaraz leaves iconic coach calling on Agassi after ‘outer space’ claim

Carlos Alcaraz has long been tipped things and received lofty comparisons to the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. At the age of 20, the Spaniard already has two Grand Slam titles and a stint as No 1 in the world. And renowned tennis coach Rick Macci has taken things a step further, bringing Andre Agassi into the conversation as he claimed Alcaraz could make a drop shot from “outer space”.

Alcaraz has often drawn comparisons to the greats of the game, as even Djokovic previously admitted that the world No 2 was like a combination of himself, Federer and Nadal after losing to him in the Wimbledon final. He has already surpassed everyone else in his age group and was just 19 years old when he won his first Major and rose to world No 1.

The Spaniard’s game style has also earned him a lot of compliments, with Alcaraz already known for his trademark drop shot and explosive nature on the court. His ability has prompted top tennis coach Macci to make a bold claim, as he roped in Agassi to explain just how complete the 20-year-old’s game was.

“Alcaraz, we’ve never seen anything like this. We’ve never seen it,” the former coach of Venus and Serena Williams told the Match Point Canada podcast. “He is a combination of, I tell everybody, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Agassi all wrapped in one.”

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Macci has an eye for spotting talent, as he helped the Williams sisters get their start and previously worked with players like Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova. And Alcaraz was another player that the American backed to do great things. He continued: “He has make-up speed like no other. Once he hits that other gear his turbo speed is amazing.

“He has a drop shot from outer space. He has missed more drop shots as a kid than anybody who has played tennis because he has tried more – and whoever coached him as a kid would not discourage that.”

With two Grand Slam titles already to his name, Macci backed the world No 2 to pick up a lot more silverware over the course of his career. “I think, he is going to get such a bucket of Grand Slams, it’s unreal. I feel, in my opinion, he is by far, the leader in the clubhouse,” he added.

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And the famous tennis coach isn’t the only one who has heaped the praise on Alcaraz as Djokovic recently branded the 20-year-old as one of the most complete players he had ever faced. The pair contested the most one-sided match of their rivalry yet when the world No 1 beat Alcaraz 6-3 6-2 at the ATP Finals on Saturday.

But the 24-time Major winner was still very impressed with his young rival. “He’s one of the most complete players that I ever faced in my career. It’s quite impressive for his age that he’s able to play consistently well for now several years already, and he’s the youngest-ever No 1 in the world that we had. A brilliant career already, and I think it’s quite obvious that he’s going to have a brilliant career full of success in the years to come. He’s still very, very young,” he said after the match.

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