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Carlos Alcaraz Made A “Terrible” Statement About A Table Tennis Star In A Press Conference In Mexico Today That Got People Talking About,
Carlos Alcaraz Made A “Terrible” Statement About A Table Tennis Star In A Press Conference In Mexico Today That Got People Talking About,
But Was He Wrong?
What Carlos, Alcaraz had to say about Jakub Mensik, Joao Fonseca and Arthur Fils
The future of tennis is in good hands according to Carlos Alcaraz and the four-time Grand Slam winner has named three rising stars who are “capable of competing for major titles”.
Although Alcaraz himself is only 21 years old, he is already considered a veteran on the ATP Tour as he made his breakthrough as a teenager and has notched up multiple milestones.
The Spaniard won his maiden Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open at the age of 19 and also became the youngest world No 1 and year-end world No 1 in the process.
Since then he has won two Wimbledon titles and the French Open while he has also lifted six ATP 1000 trophies with the most recent one coming at the Monte Carlo Masters last week.
So needless to say, Alcaraz knows a thing or two about achieving big things at a young age.
The reigning world No 2 was asked about the future of tennis and named Jakub Mensik, Joao Fonseca and Arthur Fils as youngsters who have impressed him.
“Tennis is currently in a great moment; there are many young players capable of striving for big things and competing for major titles, as we’ve already seen with Mensik, a player who will continue to grow but is already established,” he stated.
“Joao Fonseca is another player I love watching; he has a lot of charisma on the court, and his tennis is amazing. I played against Arthur Fils for the first time in Monte Carlo and was amazed by his strength and level.
“We are in a time where there’s a wide range of young players fighting and showcasing our strengths; this is beautiful for our sport.”
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Mensik has been on the scene for a few years now, but the 19-year-old’s big moment in tennis came at the Miami Open when he defeated the great Novak Djokovic in the final to win his maiden Masters title.
The 18-year-old Fonseca, meanwhile, made his debut at the age of 17 in 2023 and won the Next Gen ATP Finals in 2024.
Playing in his maiden Grand Slam at this year’s Australian Open, the Brazilian stunned ninth seed Andrey Rublev in the first round before losing in his next match.
A few weeks later he won his maiden title when he beat Francisco Cerundolo in the Argentina Open final and surged into the top 75 of the ATP Rankings.
The 20-year-old Fils has reached a career high of No 14 in the rankings as he has reached the quarter-final of all three ATP Masters events so far this year.
The Frenchman came close to upsetting Alcaraz in the last eight in Monte Carlo, but in the end the Spaniard battled to a three-set victory.
The Spaniard also highlighted Fils’ strength after his win, saying: “I think his level is pretty high. The strength that he hit the ball, it is amazing. Physically he is one of the most physical players on the tour, one of the best ones, for sure.”
We will no doubt hear a lot more about Mensik, Fonseca and Fils in the coming years.
