‘Alcaraz brings new zest to tour’

Madrid – Former women’s world No 1 Naomi Osaka says Spanish teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz (right) has spurred a new wave of excitement for men’s tennis and says she is keen to watch him practice this week in Madrid.

Osaka, who is a wildcard at the Madrid Open, has been closely following Alcaraz’s meteoric rise to the top-10, at just the tender age of 18, and will be keeping an eye on him in the Spanish capital this fortnight.

“I feel like he’s genuinely made everyone excited about the ATP and I haven’t seen that in a very long time,” Osaka told reporters at the Caja Magica.

Alcaraz has amassed an impressive 23-3 win-loss record so far this season and has risen to a career-high No 9 in the world on the back of capturing three titles in Rio de Janeiro, Miami and Barcelona.

The Spaniard is the youngest player to crack the top 10 since Rafael Nadal achieved that feat at the same age 17 years ago.

“I’m not even really thinking about his age, like every time someone brings up his age, I’m like, ‘Oh wow, I forget, that’s so cool’,” said 24-year-old Osaka.

“I think just his game style, just how pumped he is, how I feel like I’m watching him learn with every tournament.

“I don’t know what his ranking was last year here, but I’ve watched almost every tournament that he’s played, the US Open when he played (Stefanos) Tsitsipas and just to see the growth I think is really exciting for everyone.”

Osaka, who won all four of her Grand Slam titles on hard courts, is keen to translate that success to the red dirt this season.

She prepared for the clay-court season by spending a few days training in Mallorca and said she has made some changes to her game, inspired by 13-time French Open champion Nadal.