NBA Legend Nowitzki Calls Alcaraz ‘A Complete Package’

Former NBA star Dirk Nowtizki has called tennis his “first love”, and the German is a frequent guest at both ATP Tour and WTA events. Ahead of his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Aug. 12, the Dallas Mavericks legend took some time to talk tennis.

“I watch tennis a lot,” Nowitzki told WTAtennis.com. “I love tennis. I grew up playing tennis, so I’ve followed the sport my entire life. Of course, I’m a huge Roger Federer guy, a Rafael Nadal fan. It’s tough to really pick one favourite.”

He may not be able to pick a favourite, but he had no issue singling out Carlos Alcaraz as his pick to be the dominant force in the sport going forward.

“Alcaraz I saw live just a couple of months ago in Indian Wells,” Nowitzki said. “Unbelievable. The touch, the talent, the physical nature, the speed, the athleticism. To me, he is like a complete package.

“The crazy thing is, he’s only 20. If he stays injury-free, obviously he’s going to be dominant for a long, long time.”

Alcaraz further impressed Nowitzki with his performance in winning his first Wimbledon title, when he beat Novak Djokovic to maintain the top spot in the Peppertone ATP Rankings.

“I watched the whole Wimbledon final a couple of weeks ago against Djoko, which was an amazing match.” Nowitzki said. “How tough this kid is mentally, already at that age, to pull that off against Djoko was incredible. He’s the next generation and he’ll dominate the sport of tennis for a long, long time.”