"I'm talking like I'm 30" - Carlos Alcaraz gives interesting advice to Learner Tien & Next-Gen stars after Australian Open heroics

Carlos Alcaraz gave a piece of interesting advice to rising stars Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik, Learner Tien, and others after the Spaniard's third-round win at the 2025 Australian Open on Friday (January 17). The teenage stars are making a name for their generation at this year's Happy Slam by causing some of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history.

Tien ousted three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling five-set match to reach the third round. On the other hand, Mensik stunned sixth seed Casper Ruud while Fonseca decimated ninth seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets. Other Next-Gen stars such as Nishesh Basavareddy and Alex Michelsen have also made a name for themselves at the Melbourne Major.

Carlos Alcaraz, who is trying to complete his Career Grand Slam, defeated Nuno Borges 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 to reach the fourth round. During the post-match press conference, he was asked if he had some advice to give to the aforementioned Next-Gen stars. The Spaniard said the Next-Gen possessed tremendous potential:

"I've seen those players. I've seen the level that they have. I didn't watch too much about Tien, for example, but I watched a little bit last night, and he was incredible. I was surprised a little bit about his level. I don't know which ranking they are going to reach, but they have a lot of potential."

However, 21-year-old Alcaraz then hilariously mentioned how he was just about two years older than them and his advice was:

"I mean, I'm talking like I am 30 years old, I'm just two years older than them. So, what advice... don't beat me, I guess, I don't know."

It is interesting to note that Alcaraz also burst onto the tennis scene as a teenager. He defeated Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev at the 2022 Madrid Masters. He then defeated Casper Ruud to win the US Open and ended 2022 as the youngest-ever World No. 1.

"I see them capable of beating anyone, including myself" - Carlos Alcaraz makes honest admission

Carlos Alcaraz - Source: Getty

Continuing his thoughts, Carlos Alcaraz admitted that the Next-Gen stars were already capable of defeating the top players including himself. He also marveled at Learner Tien's win over Daniil Medvedev and felt that with time and experience the young generation was going to become an even bigger threat. He said:

"I see them capable of beating anyone, including myself. I mean, they have the level, they getting the experience in every tournament they're playing. Last night, we saw Tien beating Medvedev in Australia in five sets, which was amazing. Fonseca playing his first five sets match as well."

"So, they getting experience, they are going to become even more dangerous."

Both Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca have been knocked out of the tournament after playing five-set thrillers. Meanwhile, Learner Tien will continue his campaign against Corentin Moutet in the third round.

Carlos Alcaraz will await the winner of Jack Draper vs Aleksandar Vukic next.