'Unbelievable' Carlos Alcaraz 'not afraid of anything or anybody' at French Open - Mats Wilander

Updated 22/05/2022 at 19:13 GMT

Mats Wilander was high in praise for Carlos Alcaraz as the young Spaniard prepares to face Juan Ignacio Londero in the first round of the French Open, looking to resume his purple patch of form on the clay after wondrous peformances in Madrid, where he beat compatriot Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, defeating Alexander Zverev to seal his fourth title of the season.

'He's not afraid of anything or anybody' - Wilander on why Alcaraz is so special

Mats Wilander has been speaking highly of Carlos Alcaraz as the Spaniard prepares to face Juan Ignacio Londero in the first round at Roland-Garros.

Speaking to Alize Lim, the Eurosport expert was full of praise for the sixth seed, who is looking to build upon his mesmerising form that has seen him defeat Novak Djokovic in Madrid, and that was after toppling his compatriot Rafael Nadal, becoming the first teenager to defeat the 'King of Clay' on his home surface.

Wilander emphasised the mentality and the intelligence on show from the teenager, who seems unfazed on the big occasion, despite his age.

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‘Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of back to what we are used to in the eighties," Wilander said on Eurosport.

"I was 17 when I won here in 1982… Boris Becker was even younger than me when he won Wimbledon in 1985 and people always talk about ‘why can you not be 18, 19 anymore’, because the game is so physical.

"I think that it’s mental and I think Carlos Alcaraz has this unbelievably positive attitude. He’s very strong physically, he understands the game with hitting drop shots and hitting power shots - especially with the forehand - but more than anything, it’s the mentality that he’s not 19, he’s like 29, when he’s playing on the court.

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"He loves being on the big court[s]; he has an unbelievable conversation with Juan Carlos Ferrero whilst he’s playing, and I feel like he’s not afraid of anything, or anybody."

It's huge praise from a man who was twice a record-breaker at the French Open; Wilander won his maiden title in his first attempt as he referred to in 1982, becoming the first unseeded winner of a singles event in the process.

Alacaraz faces Londero in his first-round match-up, and you can stream the match live and on-demand on discovery+.