Legendary coach makes Carlos Alcaraz US Open prediction as he ...
Carlos Alcaraz reacts during a match at the Paris Olympics
Renowned tennis coach Rick Macci has revealed Carlos Alcaraz is his favourite to win the 2024 US Open and described him as “the Spanish magician.”
The American, who coached both Serena and Venus Williams, expects Alcaraz’s heartbreak at the Olympics to add to his grit and determination.
Alcaraz secured a silver medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris earlier this month after losing 6-7(3), 6-7(2) to Novak Djokovic in the gold medal match.
The 21-year-old, who was making his debut at the Olympics, reached the final without dropping a set and was the favourite to claim gold after winning the French Open and Wimbledon this summer.
The Spaniard was stopped, though, by one of Djokovic’s finest-ever performances in an enthralling battle that lasted almost three hours.
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Alcaraz is playing his first tournament since the Olympics at the Cincinnati Open, an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, where he will face Gael Monfils in his opening match.
The world No 3 was a runner-up in Cincinnati last year and he can take the world No 2 position from Djokovic — who withdrew from the event — if he reaches the quarter-finals.
Following Cincinnati, Alcaraz will turn his attention to the US Open, where he won the first of his four Grand Slam titles in 2022. The 2024 edition of the New York major will run from August 26 to September 8.
In a post on X, Macci backed Alcaraz to respond to his disappointment of missing out on an Olympic gold by winning the US Open.
“The Spanish magician is my favourite to win the US Open,” wrote Macci.
“The gold medal loss will add another layer of fibre and grit with even more baked in determination and never say quit.”
Following Djokovic’s triumph at the Olympics, Macci hailed the 24-time Grand Slam champion in a series of tweets.
“He is the GOAT and always been rock solid. Today that anointment is solid gold,” the 69-year-old posted.
“One of the mentally strongest competitors ever in the history of any sport. He is in rare air that only goats breathe and added another gold nugget to his resume and now has raised the gold bar for every tennis player and athlete.”
Macci has coached five players who achieved the world No 1 ranking in their careers: Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati and Andy Roddick. He also worked with Mary Pierce, Anastasia Myskina and Sofia Kenin.
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