Acclaimed tennis coach Rick Macci has heaped praise on Carlos Alcaraz for pushing tennis to new heights after a landmark few years on the ATP Tour.<\/p>\n
Alcaraz<\/a> does not celebrate his 23rd birthday until May, but is already one of the most successful male players of the Open Era, winning seven Grand Slam singles titles to date.<\/p>\n The Spaniard is a two-time French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open champion, and started 2026 by lifting the Australian Open title for the first time<\/a>.<\/p>\n Victory in Melbourne in early February made the 22-year-old just the sixth man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam in singles, and the youngest to have done so<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alcaraz is also the youngest man to ever reach world No 1 in the ATP Rankings, having been 19 when he first rose to top spot after winning his first major title at the 2022 US Open.<\/p>\n He is currently the second-youngest man to spend 60 weeks atop the ATP Rankings<\/a>, and his 60 weeks as the world No 1 are already the 13th-most of any ATP world No 1.<\/p>\n Alcaraz is not only the most successful male tennis player of his generation to date but is also the biggest star of his era, with a hugely dynamic game and amiable personality helping him win fans across the globe.<\/p>\n And, legendary coach Macci<\/a> believes the Spaniard has been a game-changer for the sport.<\/p>\n Tennis News<\/p>\n Daniil Medvedev & Tallon Griekspoor\u2019s Dubai Championships prize money & ranking points revealed<\/a><\/p>\n Iga Swiatek backed for \u2018big run\u2019 in Indian Wells as star searches for top form in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Writing on Twitter\/X, Macci \u2014 who has worked with the likes of Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Jennifer Capriati \u2014 paid Alcaraz a significant compliment.<\/p>\n He wrote: \u201cCarlos has raised the bar and jolted the sport like no other.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom Pro level to club level he has brought a new level of chess delivering more not less with a complete style and a winning smile firing quick dips flips drops and pops and most of he ALL just loves to BALL.\u201d<\/p>\n Alcaraz is currently unbeaten in 2026, having followed his Australian Open victory with an emphatic run to the Qatar Open title in Doha last week<\/a>.<\/p>\n With a 12-0 record for the season to date, the world No 1 will now look to continue his winning streak at the opening Masters 1000 event of the season in Indian Wells.<\/p>\n The Spaniard will be the top seed at the tournament and is arguably the favourite for the title in Tennis Paradise, having lifted back-to-back titles in Indian Wells in 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n Alcaraz defeated Daniil Medvedev<\/a> to lift the title for the first time in 2023, and then again beat the Russian in the 2024 final to defend his title.<\/p>\n However, his 16-match win streak at the tournament came to an end in dramatic fashion last year, with Alcaraz beaten by eventual champion Jack Draper in a topsy-turvy three-set semi-final<\/a>.<\/p>\n That was just the third time he had been beaten at the tournament, after a round-one loss to Andy Murray on his event debut in 2021, and a semi-final loss to Rafael Nadal in 2022.<\/p>\n Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n