By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday March 22, 2023

Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz were slated to meet in the third round at the Miami Open, but that won’t happen this week due to the fact that Murray was upset by Dusan Lajovic on Wednesday.



Nevertheless, Murray took questions on the high-flying Spaniard after his loss, and was quick to both praise Alcaraz’s game while cautioning the media not to get too carried away with expectations.

“He has an excellent game, an all-around game that I think will translate well onto all surfaces,” Murray said of the 19-year-old World No.1 when asked to compare him to the other next gen talents on tour. .

Murray went on to say that he hopes that Alcaraz maintains his same aggressive posture as he gets older.

“He's not the biggest guy, but he can serve big,” Murray said. “He's an unbelievable mover, great athlete. Has a lot of variety in his game. Takes the ball on a lot. That's something that you hope he keeps. I know from experience that it's a bit easier playing that way when you're 18, 19, and there's not any scar tissue there.

“I hope that he maintains that style of play because it's exciting to watch.”

Medvedev on Alcaraz: The Question Is: How Many Slams?

At the BNP Paribas Open last week, before he faced Alcaraz in the final, Daniil Medvedev told reporters that Alcaraz could be a dominant force on tour.

“When he was there at like 17, I was, like, “Wow, this guy, he's strong,’ but you never know. Sometimes a guy hits strong and then makes a lot of unforced errors. Let's see how he does.’” Medvedev said. “Then in one year he's No. 1 in the world.”

Medvedev says that Alcaraz has power and consistency in his game.

“There are matches where he doesn't miss much, hitting just stronger than his opponents,” he said. “That's like surprising or amusing to see, because you're like: ‘If this guy is on fire, what can you do?’ He has amazing skills… we know that he knows how to use them. Then the question comes: does he win 10 Grand Slams, 5, or 23 and maybe he beats the record?”

Murray preaches caution when it comes to expecting a player to match the level of success that the Big Three achieved.

“He's obviously, so far in his young career, doing better than most of the guys that have come the last eight to 10 years. I know a lot of people are expecting everyone to win 20-plus Grand Slams now, like that's sort of normal. I wouldn't predict that for anyone.”

No matter how many Slams Alcaraz wins, or how much pressure we put on him, Murray says he is set up to have a brilliant career.

“I would imagine he would be right at the top of the game for, well, as long as he wants to play,” he said.