Martina Navratilova’s post-match reaction to Carlos Alcaraz’s latest US Open win perfectly summed up this mercurial Spaniard: “He’s an alien.”
What he is accomplishing in New York, after four months out injured with a wrist ailment no less, is astounding. He has no right to be performing this well already, and has turned himself into the title favourite after many doubted him before a ball was struck.
Speaking live on Sky Sports, the various pundits struggled to pin down just one area of his game to eulogise.
In the end, Martina Navratilova settled on the speed of his recovery, before then focusing on his famous forehand.
Martina Navratilova stunned by how quickly Carlos Alcaraz has returned to his best
She began by insisting: “It is really crazy that he got this good this fast with his game. Usually when people have that many options, it takes them a while to find out how to play the game because there are too many options.
“Not Carlos. He is just in another stratosphere.”
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Then, discussing the injury, Navratilova argued that Carlos Alcaraz’s level is perfect proof that he is back to his best.
The 19-time Grand Slam singles champion added: “The arm is 100%. He is 100%. He is playing as if he never left. Apart from maybe the mixed doubles, he was rusty.
“But once he played here. That forehand he hit at the end of the match to break!”
Alcaraz said if he felt he was back to his best during his on-court interview. With Jannik Sinner absent through injury, it really feels as though nobody can stop him in this kind of form.
Carlos Alcaraz has the highest win rate in US Open history
At just 23 years of age, the records that Alcaraz has already shattered are likely to stand for a long, long time.
After all, he is already on a trajectory that will see him conclude his legendary career among, or even beyond, the unthinkable levels set by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic before him.
How far do you think Carlos Alcaraz will go at the US Open after four months out injured? 🤕
The fact that no player in the sport’s history has a greater win rate at the US Open than him is indicative of this, having now extended his record to 27-3, a staggering 99% winning percentage.
And, to go a step further, Alcaraz actually boasts the seventh-highest win percentage at a single Grand Slam in the Open Era, with Nadal at Roland Garros unsurprisingly top (96.6% win rate, 112-4).
