Ever since winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open last year, Carlos Alcaraz has become the talk of the town. At just 20, he’s already among the top stars of the next-gen of tennis. While his compatriot Rafael Nadal has been on and off the circuit in the past few years, Alcaraz has taken over the baton from him to keep Spain’s flag flying high. Having caught the tennis world’s eyes, many legends have talked about him. Recently, American legend, John McEnroe, made an unpopular opinion about him that didn’t sit right with Chris Evert.

Evert has been active on social media and often shares her opinions on the day-to-day happenings in tennis. On this occasion, she took to Twitter to contradict McEnroe.

What did Chris Evert say?

During a podcast, McEnroe talked about Alcaraz’s rise in the tennis world. The ‘Superbrat’ was of the opinion that he is one in a billion and such players could be found in the rarest of the rare case. Thus, he urged budding players to go to colleges instead of tennis academies.

He said, ““I grew up in Queens. The best thing that ever happened to me was not going to a Nick Bollettieri-style camp. I would’ve quit the game at 16 or 17. I love to play other sports.. All studies show, both physically & mentally, it’s healthier for kids to play other sports.. Tennis players are peaking later than they ever did. I think college is an experience that not only do you get to play as a team potentially if you’re in a sport, but you get to grow up a little bit & also have some fun before you work your way into a profession, & you’ll be more prepared to handle it. So I completely disagree with what academies do most often. For every person you hear that succeeds, there’s a million that don’t. Not everyone’s Carlos Alcaraz, he’s one in a billion. He’s just a freak. He’s an incredible player, but most kids have no business doing that.”

However, Evert didn’t feel that McEnroe was right in this regard. She contradicted him by saying, “I agree with John on many levels, but not every Tennis Academy’s goal is to grind out professional tennis players, but to help kids earn tennis scholarships to get into good colleges. The tennis/education combination is the goal!”

While McEnroe may be right that Alcaraz is a star who comes to the fore once-in-a-blue-moon, his opinion about tennis academies may not sit right with the Spaniard himself. Even Alcaraz once tried to venture into tennis academies as he set ambitious plans for the future.

Alcaraz’s big project set to come up

Earlier this year, it was revealed that the Spanish teen sensation is set to start his tennis academy, drawing inspiration from his legendary compatriot, Rafael Nadal. The 22-time Grand Slam has been successfully managing the Rafael Nadal Academy since 2016, honing the skills of several promising tennis stars. The most significant name to make it to the top is the 2022 French Open and US Open finalist, Casper Ruud.

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Alcaraz plans to launch a similarly well-respected tennis academy that holds his name, envisioning it as a hub where tennis talent from the local, national, and global levels can thrive. His father, who has a deep connection to tennis, will be assisting him on his visionary project. The location is set to be Murcia, Carlos Alcaraz’s hometown. It will be a game-changing initiative by Alcaraz, that will prosper the sport in his local town.

This initiative proves how deeply the Spaniard is invested in the sport. Indeed, he is a superstar in the true sense!

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