'I won Wimbledon – I've seen one player who is better on grass than Roger Federer' - The Mirror

Roger Federer reigned supreme on top-level grass courts for over two decades, but one former Wimbledon winner doesn’t believe he’s the best ever to grace the surface

Prodigy Carlos Alcaraz is the greatest tennis player to ever take to a professional grass court – besting even Roger Federer, says Pat Cash.

Since laying down a gauntlet to tennis’ elite in 2022 with his US Open win, Alcaraz has transformed into one of the most entertaining and unstoppable forces on the professional tour.

He’s amassed four Grand Slam titles at the age of 21, his first coming at 19, and has bested all-time great Novak Djokovic twice already on the grass of SW19 – winning his major titles on each of the three court surfaces.

Despite showing an affinity for any weather, 1987 Wimbledon champ Cash has lauded the young Spaniard’s ability on grass, even going as far as to say that he is already a more established player on the surface than Federer and Djokovic.

With eight and seven title wins at The Championships, respectively, Federer and Djokovic often see their names mentioned when the topic of the best player to take to grass arises.

Swiss icon Federer called time on his illustrious career after over two decades in 2022 and ended with a staggering 87 per cent top-level win rate on the surface, tasting victory 192 times to just 29 losses.

Djokovic on the other hand, is still trading blows with the younger elite, but has so far built up an equally impressive win percentage of 85.7 per cent, with 120 triumphs and 20 losses.

Cash’s man Alcaraz, however, despite having played fewer top-class matches on grass than Federer has defeats, currently holds an 89% win rate, having lost on just three occasions whilst tallying 24 wins.

“He hasn’t got a weakness. I almost think he is one of the best, in fact the best player I have ever seen on grass,” Australian Cash told Sky Sports Tennis. “Ever seen, and I am really talking about ever seen.

“Because he is a young guy, he has taken the best of Rafa [Nadal], the best of Federer and he has been able to adapt that. Without these great players, he wouldn’t have had that, and he admits that.

“He said, 'without Rafa I wouldn’t be where I am’, but he has just taken the best of everything and somehow at the age of 21 has put it all together. I have never seen anything like that.

“We’ll see how he does over his career, because obviously he doesn’t have that longevity yet. But he definitely has the stuff of one of the best of all time like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic if he continues like this.”

Cash is not the only one who has compared Alcaraz to such greats. British tennis ace Liam Broady also believes that the youngster has the hallmarks of his iconic predecessor, and compatriot Nadal – who dominated a surface of his own: clay.

“He has the sheer power of Rafa, but he has the lightness to his game and that sort of aura that Fed had,” Broady said. “He’s like a ballet dancer but with that ability to shift like only Rafa could.

“He has the strength like Rafa had on a clay court to play way back in the court but he can also play up in the court the same way that Roger used to. He is one of the few players in the sport who can take your breath away with some of the shots that he hits.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.