Andy Murray had already spotted the potential of Carlos Alcarez long before his run at Indian Wells. Alcarez, 18, is preparing for a semi-final with Spanish compatriot Rafael Nadal on Saturday, with his Spanish compatriot having continued his unbeaten start to 2022 after winning the Australian Open.
“Yeah, he hits the ball really hard from the back of the court,” Murray told reporters afterwards. “And I’d probably say like physically, I don’t really like comparing like myself to other young players, but if I think back to when I was 18 in comparison to him, from a physical perspective he is unbelievably strong.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he did really well in a Slam and was able to win long matches, like long five-set matches, already. A lot of younger players when they are 18, 19, are not physically ready for that – I’d say that’s probably the thing that sort of stands out, physically he seems, very, very strong.”
Murray, who himself was beaten in the first round this week by Alexander Bublik, also praised the energy of Alcarez, as well as his power. “He is obviously an excellent mover around the court as well, so that’s a big positive,” he added.
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