Andre Agassi’s admiration for Carlos Alcaraz is widely known. The mutual respect can be clearly seen during tournaments like the Australian Open and the Netflix Slam. At a recent business event, Agassi joined the bandwagon of comparing Alcaraz with the ‘Big 3’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Reflecting on his personal experiences, Agassi stated that three key factors will determine whether Alcaraz will surpass the trio of players who have each won 20 Grand Slams or more. Those are decision-making, injuries and luck.
Alcaraz is a great decision-maker, as seen by his shot selection and sense of anticipation on the court, sizing up his opponents well. However, the second factor, i.e. injuries, is something the reigning Wimbledon champion needs to work on.
Agassi’s words hold weight, as Alcaraz himself revealed his battles with fitness in the 2024 season, despite winning two Grand Slams. While Alcaraz can draw inspiration from Nadal when it comes to having a strong body and will to fight pain from time to time, the journey won’t be easy for the young Spaniard.
The third factor is luck, which does play a big role in any sport since Alcaraz requires other things to go his way to succeed.
Agassi, during the TIE Global event, acknowledged that Alcaraz has the power and spin of Nadal, the defensive skills of Djokovic, and the effortless style of Federer. However, the American claimed that Alcaraz’s versatility alone may not be enough for him to surpass them.
Andre Agassi says Carlos Alcaraz has the power of Nadal, the defense of Djokovic, & the finesse of Federer, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be able to accomplish what they accomplished:
It will be interesting to see whether Alcaraz reacts to these words. But there is no doubt that the young Spaniard respects legacy beyond Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, as shown by his epic tribute to Agassi at the US Open 2024.
Alcaraz asked Nike to recreate Agassi’s 1990 AirTech Challenger 2 Hot Lava Shoes
During his first-round match against Li Tu at the US Open, Alcaraz’s choice of shoes went viral quickly. Agassi himself responded to it on social media by sharing a picture of Alcaraz on his Instagram stories and adding an emoji of eyes near the shoes.
Alcaraz reposted the story on his profile and added eyes, a shoe, a handshake, and hearted eye emojis. This time, Agassi shared a close-up image on his story, in which the shoes can be clearly seen. He added the text ‘Vamos’ to it, giving his best wishes to the Spaniard for the last Slam of the year. Alcaraz again reshared the story on his own profile.
Another reason Alcaraz wore those shoes was to create buzz for the impending release of an ‘aged Hot Lava’ colored version of the shoe. The brand launched the latest edition of the shoes on August 30, making the Agassi and Alcaraz collaboration logical.
2024-12-13 18:56:33
