Gael Monfils says Carlos Alcaraz is “already a legend” like Djokovic, Federer or Nadal 

CINCINNATI—After applauding Gael Monfils’ comprehensive victory over newly crowned Montreal champion Alexei Popyrin, the crowd on Stadium 3 let out a roar when they learned his next opponent would be world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz.

Four-time Grand Slam champion and Olympic silver medalist Alcaraz hasn’t played a hard-court match since March, but his “complete” game can catch fire on any surface, said Monfils, who had nothing but praise for his opponent as he discussed their matchup.

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“He’s a complete athlete, in terms of speed, endurance, power,” Monfils said. “And then his tennis, of course, is quite complete, too. Backhand, forehand, it's quite hard to see where you can (hit). He improved a lot on the return, he’s serving big. He’s just a really complete player.

“At the moment, I see him (the same) as Novak, as Rafa, as Roger, for me. He’s just a bit younger, but he’s already a legend.”

On Wednesday, Monfils recorded a confident 7-5, 6-3 victory over Popyrin, who looked to be feeling the fatigue after winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title on Monday in Canada. The 37-year-old Frenchman is enjoying the conditions in Cincinnati—”As you get older, you like a faster court,” he quipped to press—but knows he’ll need every edge he can take going into his second-round clash.

The Frenchman called Cincinnati a “second home” on tour because of the warm reception he always gets from Midwest crowds. And now, he says, those same fans are showering the love on the next generation of stars like Alcaraz, the 21-year-old who is tipped to be the face of the men’s tour alongside Jannik Sinner, 22.

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“For me, it's always cool to play such a big star like Carlos or Jannik—or of course, in my day it was Novak, Rafa, Roger. But to play those youngsters, it's always a pleasure,” Monfils said.

“Tomorrow, it's gonna be a great fun for me. Obviously, really tough, but it's gonna be something that I will remember for a couple years.”

World No. 46 Monfils will take on No. 2 seed Alcaraz on Thursday. It will be their second meeting of the year, after Alcaraz improved to 2-0 in their head-to-head at the Miami Open with a 6-2, 6-4 victory in the third round.