"He does things that I haven't seen players do" - Jimmy Arias on Carlos Alcaraz's unique abilities and athleticism

Jimmy Arias believes Carlos Alcaraz possesses abilities like no other player, particularly due to his athletic prowess. The former World No. 5 on the ATP tour highlighted the aspect of the Spaniard's game that sets him apart from others and has contributed to his rise to the World No. 1 spot.

The 19-year-old relied on his athleticism and endurance powers to prevail in numerous long and highly-competitive matches en route to his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open.

Speaking during his appearance on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, Arias shed light on that athletic prowess. He explained that Alcaraz is the only player who can hit a powerful winner from well behind the baseline and rush to the net to attack, thus turning a defensive position into an offensive position very quickly.

"His game's pretty good, he's an incredible athlete," Arias said. "He does things that I haven't seen players do. He can hit a 100-mile-an-hour forehand from 3 feet behind the baseline, and then on the next shot, he's at the net or pretty close to the net. You don't see anybody do that, it's a new thing. It's impressive to watch."

Arias also spoke about the challenge for Alcaraz to deal with the pressure and expectations that come along with being the top-ranked male player in the world. The former American player explained why there is a lot more pressure on the World No. 1 than everyone else on tour.

While the teenager felt the burden of a top seeding at the Canadian Open, Arias highlighted that he learned to deal with it very quickly, as evidenced by his US Open run.

"Obviously, he [Carlos Alcaraz] went to the US Open and he's still one of the top favorites at that tournament and it was fine. Now that he's No. 1, he's just going to have to learn to deal with it. It's different, you're not chasing anyone anymore. Everyone's chasing you, everyone's gunning for you," Arias suggested.

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Carlos Alcaraz's bid for year-end World No. 1 receives major boost at 2022 ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz in action at the 2022 Paris Masters.

Carlos Alcaraz is not competing in the 2022 ATP Finals due to a serious abdominal injury, but he has moved closer to creating history. If Alcaraz retains his top spot in the rankings at the end of the ATP Finals, he will become the youngest-ever year-end No. 1 in ATP history.

His chances of doing so received a boost on Monday. Stefanos Tsitsipas lost to Novak Djokovic in the ATP Finals, thereby ending the Greek player's hopes of the year-end No. 1 ranking. Meanwhile, Alcaraz's compatriot Rafael Nadal is still alive in the race. The 22-time Grand Slam champion will end the season at the summit of the ATP Rankings if he wins the ATP Finals.

Alcaraz first earned the No. 1 ranking after winning the US Open and has not let go of the spot since then.