Former Romanian player Ion Tiriac has suggested that the hype around Carlos Alcaraz is a bit too much despite acknowledging the Spaniard’s talents. Over the last two years, Alcaraz has established himself as one of the most dominant forces in men’s tennis, winning four Majors and five Masters 1000 titles.
Alcaraz shot to international superstardom in 2022, when he defeated Casper Ruud in the final of the US Open to win his maiden Grand Slam title. The second one came at last year’s Wimbledon Championships, with the Spaniard dethroning Djokovic after a five-set thriller.
Since his SW19 success in 2023 though, Alcaraz went through a barren run that was marked by inconsistency. However, he did eventually rediscover his finest form at this year’s French Open, clinching the title with a comeback win over Alexander Zverev in the final. He defended his Wimbledon title successfully as well, once again getting the better of Djokovic.
The World No. 3 also had an impressive Olympic debut this year, clinching the silver medal in singles and reaching the quarterfinals in men’s doubles alongside Rafael Nadal.
Unsurprisingly, the 21-year-old’s stellar achievements, coupled with his entertaining style of play, have led to unprecented hype and expectations. However, Tiriac recently told We Love Tennis in Bucharest that according to him, despite Alcaraz’s undeniable talents, the tennis fraternity in general is “making a bit too much of him”. The Romanian believes this is due to the lure of “economic benefits” that can be gained from the Spaniard’s name.
“He’s (Alcaraz) a talented player, he’s sensational, he has incredible leg speed and power, but I think we’re making a bit too much of him, that we already want to reap the economic benefits when we’re only at the beginning of his career,” Tiriac said.
The Romanian went on to say that considering Carlos Alcaraz’s tender age, he should be left “alone” to ensure that he improves in all aspects of his tennis. According to Tiriac, in the long run, this would ensure greater financial prosperity for all involved.
“We have to be much more patient, leave him alone because the dollar we earn today is nothing compared to what we can “earn” in a few years,” Tiriac added.
“I have to keep building my path” – Carlos Alcaraz after Wimbledon 2024 triumph
After his resounding 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) win over Novak Djokovic in the final of this year’s Wimbledon Championships, Carlos Alcaraz said that the fact that he has managed to win four Grand Slams aged only 21 will matter little to him if he cannot keep building on his achievements so far.
“Obviously it’s a really great start to my career but I have to keep going. I have to keep building my path and at the end of my career I would want to sit at the same table as the big guy. So that’s my main goal, that’s my dream right now,” Alcaraz said during a press conference.
Carlos Alcaraz is currently vying for the Cincinnati Open crown, which he narrowly missed out on last year. As the No. 2 seed at the ATP Masters 1000 event, Alcaraz received a first-round bye and at the time of writing, his second-round match against French veteran Gael Monfils has been suspended, with the Spaniard leading 6-4, 6-6.
If the World No. 3 comes out on top against Monfils, he will face No. 15 seed Holger Rune in the third round in Cincinnati.
