EXCLUSIVE: Blessed with possibly the greatest forehand of all time and one Wimbledon trophy already on his mantelpiece, Isa Guha is convinced that Carlos Alcaraz is going to retain his championship.
With a fire burning bright, the Spaniard is ready to do everything in his power to emerge victorious, already showcasing his remarkable skills in impressive victories over Mark Lajal and Aleksandar Vukic.
Having won the cricket World Cup with England in 2009, Guha knows exactly what it takes to scale the sporting mountain. In her competitive career, the right-arm fast-medium bowler developed a reputation for her fearsome will to win and staggering sporting IQ, which has become a useful tool in her punditry career, with the 39-year-old developing a reputation for her articulate and insightful views.
Therefore, with such an innate understanding of not just cricket, but tennis as well, the Wimbledon pundit’s predictions can’t be ignored, with the British sporting icon claiming she’s convinced ‘Carlitos’ is going to write the next chapter of his already legendary story.
In an exclusive interview with Sporf, she explained: “I can’t look past Carlos Alcraz. I think he’s going to defend his title.”
“He does things on the court you’ve never seen before. At such a young age, he’s already won so many titles. I think he’s a great person to have in the sport. This rivalry that’s forming with Jannik Sinner is pretty cool.”
When asked about her pick for the women’s singles, she answered confidently: “Coco Gauff.”
Isa Guha reveals where her love of tennis originated
While destined for cricketing glory, the natural athlete adored tennis as a child, regularly watching the sport in awe as her heroes took to the court.
She exclaimed: “I played when I was younger. I’ve always loved tennis; I watched Andre Agassi play here at Wimbledon, which was a special occasion. I absolutely loved the way Roger Federer graced the court. I was a big fan of Monica Seles and Steffi Graf.”
And had the sportswoman spent more time with the racket rather than the bat, perhaps she could’ve gone down a completely different path.
Guha laughed: “Maybe, who knows? I’d have to work a little bit more on my backhand. I did really enjoy it. How would I handle centre court? I’m not sure. I have a tremendous amount of respect for all the players that go out there. They have all that expectation on their shoulders, and they keep their nerves in check.”
Featured Image Credit: Getty / Isa Guha
