Tennis legend John McEnroe has reiterated that Carlos Alcaraz is his “favourite player” and assessed how many more Grand Slam titles the Spaniard could win in his career.
Having turned 23 in May, Alcaraz already has seven major titles to his name, and he is currently in action at the 2026 US Open, where he is trying to defend his title.
Alcaraz became the youngest man in tennis history to complete the career Grand Slam when he secured his maiden Australian Open title at the start of 2026.
The former world No 1 is a two-time champion at the US Open, Wimbledon, and the French Open. He became the youngest world No 1 in ATP history when he captured his maiden major at the 2022 US Open as a 19-year-old.
Speaking to Tennis365 last year, McEnroe lauded Alcaraz’s movement and described him as a “natural freak athlete.”
“Whoever taught him taught him well,” McEnroe said. “You’re talking about, if you had to pick the top five athletes that ever played on a tennis court, I think without a doubt he’d be one of the top five.
“So, he’s just a natural freak athlete for us that can cover the court in ways that few people have ever been able to do so.”
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Prior to the 2026 US Open, Alcaraz had not played for over four months due to a right wrist injury.
In a conversation with journalists at Flushing Meadows, McEnroe discussed his “favourite player.”
“I hope Carlos has a brilliant future ahead of him. He is my favourite tennis player, just as he is for many fans,” said the seven-time major champion.
“He is incredible for our sport and has a fantastic personality. We all hope he’s okay and can continue to excel for at least another ten years. That would make him 33 — six years younger than Novak is now.
“My great rival Bjorn Borg played his last match at 25. That is the last thing we want to see happen to Carlos.
“It would be terrible if he couldn’t become the player he once was. If he stays fit, he could win at least ten more majors.”
Ahead of the US Open, McEnroe told Eurosport that top seed Alexander Zverev was his favourite to win the tournament.
“There are strong arguments that he (Zverev) is the favourite for the title,” said the American.
“Even though things haven’t gone particularly well for him this summer, I believe he is more confident than ever.
“He played brilliantly at Wimbledon and seemed to be playing at almost his absolute best. Besides, he doesn’t have to play against [Jannik] Sinner.
“In best-of-five sets, he is simply harder to beat because he’s extremely fit.”
