Andy Roddick says Carlos Alcaraz and Rory McIlroy have one thing in common after duo's recent success

Andy Roddick drew parallels between Carlos Alcaraz with Rory Mcllroy after the duo saw astounding success in their respective fields last week. Roddick showered the Spaniard with praises as he won his Monte Carlo Masters title on Sunday, comparing his win to the remarkable feat achieved by the Irish golfer.

McIlroy achieved his long-awaited career Grand Slam after his 2025 Masters win on the same day the 21-year-old won his first clay title of the season. After a slight hiccup in the first set of the final clash against Lorenzo Musetti, Alcaraz made a stellar comeback in the match and won his maiden title at the tournament, kickstarting his clay swing for the ongoing season with a bang.

Roddick on his talk show, The Served Podcast's latest episode discussed how the nature of the two players align in some ways in terms of self-expectation and expectations from fans, even though they are years apart in age.

"As I'm watching Rory, it hasn't gotten to the point with Carlos where he hasn't built up this decade-and-a-half long story, to where Rory was standing on the 10th tee in 2011 with a five-stroke lead. He hasn’t built up that subset," he said. (5:38 onwards)

"But we're already kind of getting there with Carlos, where before Monte Carlo, people were asking, "What's wrong with Carlos?" Then he wins Monte Carlo and he is now number one in the race for the season," added the American.

In addition to that, he said the playing style of Carlos Alcaraz and Rory Mcllroy is visually appealing, which makes it a treat to watch for the spectators.

---

Carlos Alcaraz and Rory Mcllroy have similar elegance - Roddick

Carlos Alcaraz at the Barcelona Open - Source: Getty

Andy Roddick also spoke on the style of play that the 4-time Grand Slam champion and the golfer have in the same episode of his talk show.

"It might be the same for Rory. It's like, they're so aesthetically pleasing with the way that they play that we forget that they have to work at it and that it isn't just always easy. I mean, you saw what it meant to Rory at the end. It was emotional. It was amazing." he said. (10:12 onwards)

Carlos Alcaraz has already started his next tournament in Barcelona and is looking positive for the rest of the swing. After a scintillating start to the clay season, he has already secured his first round win at the Barcelona Open. He had a promising season last year, with his maiden French Open title on the surface and a stellar display at the 2024 Paris Olympics.