Key Takeaways
- John McEnroe believes Carlos Alcaraz faces a unique threat from explosive power hitters who can “take the racket out of even Carlos Alcaraz’s hands at times and frustrate him.”
- Reflecting on the Spaniard’s 5-month injury layoff and late-night US Open loss to Ben Shelton, McEnroe noted it was “huge for the US Open for him to come back” despite not reaching his peak level.
- Following action in Tokyo, world number 3 Alcaraz enters the Shanghai Masters with a first-round bye ahead of a demanding projected draw featuring top seed Alexander Zverev.
The major hurdle facing Carlos Alcaraz on the Grand Slam stage
Carlos Alcaraz has already established himself as a generational talent, earning widespread acclaim from fans and pundits alike. Among his most vocal admirers is seven-time major champion John McEnroe, who regularly refers to the 23-year-old Spaniard as his favorite competitor on the ATP Tour and the most electrifying player in modern tennis. Yet, despite his admiration for the world number 3, McEnroe has identified a significant tactical challenge that could hinder his long-term pursuit of the record books.
Speaking on a special episode of the Off Court podcast, the 67-year-old American reflected on Alcaraz’s run at the US Open following a 5-month injury hiatus. Evaluating his high-profile clash with Ben Shelton, McEnroe noted: “It seemed like he walked off the court at the US Open with a smile on his face, and hopefully he will not feel the after effects and go on from there.”
The threat of big hitters in best-of-five encounters
While Alcaraz’s spirit remained intact, McEnroe outlined why accumulating major silverware at the pace set by Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic could prove uniquely demanding for him. “But one of the reasons for me that it’s going to be so difficult for Carlos to get close to Novak and Roger in terms of their Grand Slams is that there are more bigger guys, like Shelton, who can come out and just play unbelievable matches and, in some cases, take the racket out of even Carlos Alcaraz’s hands at times and frustrate him,” McEnroe explained.
The American icon pinpointed this specific dynamic as an ongoing tactical conundrum. “This is the dilemma that he’s facing. If you watched him play, it did not look like he had a whole lot of rust. The rust, if you want to call it that, came up against a better player who was playing the best match of his life. He fed off the incredible energy that was there,” he said.
McEnroe also emphasized that Shelton deserved full credit for raising his standard during the marathon battle, which concluded at 3:34 am as the latest finish in US Open history. “So it was positive. Even though as the tournament went along you thought Carlos was going to win it, he didn’t quite get to his A-game, and his body did catch up to him a little bit, but a lot of that you have to credit Ben for,” McEnroe remarked. “So I just want to say thanks to Carlos again that he came and played; it was huge for the US Open for him to come back.”
Potential path through the Shanghai Masters draw
After competing at the Japan Open, Alcaraz faces an immediate turnaround as he turns his attention to the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai. Holding a first-round bye as the third seed, the Spaniard has mapped out a demanding prospective route through the tournament.
| Tournament stage | Projected opponent |
|---|---|
| Second round | Juan Manuel Cerundolo |
| Third round | Ignacio Buse |
| Quarter-final | Tommy Paul or Daniil Medvedev |
| Semi-final | Felix Auger-Aliassime |
| Final | Alexander Zverev |
With Alexander Zverev arriving as the top seed fresh from a 3-set duel against Djokovic at the China Open in Beijing, Alcaraz faces another stern test of his consistency and endurance on the hard courts.
ATP Tokyo - Carlos Alcaraz's projected path
Alcaraz in Tokyo, ranking, and results in 2026
Currently the world no.3, the Spaniard has an overall 31-4 match record in 2026. The Spaniard is participating in Tokyo where he beat the world no.35 Alex Michelsen 7-6(1) 4-6 6-1, the world no.38 Matteo Arnaldi 7-6(6) 6-1, the world no.42 Denis Shapovalov 7-6(3) 2-1 ret. and the world no.49 Jaume Antoni Munar Clar 5-7 6-3 6-1.
Carlos Alcaraz will compete against the world no.9 Alex De Minaur in the Round Robin on Unknown at 5:00 pm on Court 1. The head to head is 6-0 for Alcaraz.
Alcaraz has won 2 titles in 2026 at the Australian Open and Doha.
Carlos won 27 titles in his career: 10 on hard courts, 11 on clay courts, 2 on indoor courts and 4 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
