Carlos Alcaraz reacts to Andy Murray calling him the best player in the world

Carlos Alcaraz has shared his delight after Andy Murray called him the best player in men's tennis right now.

Murray made the comment at the Laver Cup, where he is currently attending as a spectator and Alcaraz is currently participating for Team Europe. At the end of day two, Team Europe led Team World 7-5, with 13 points needed to claim the title.

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The Spanish ATP star has featured on both days so far, winning in doubles alongside Jakub Mensik, before defeating Taylor Fritz in singles. He meets Alex de Minaur in day three singles before another possible doubles match.

Ahead of that, however, Alcaraz has drawn high praise from three-time Grand Slam champion Murray, who is at The O2 in London for the team event he once played in.

Carlos Alcaraz delighted after Andy Murray calls him the world's best player

Asked to name the best player in the world right now, Murray said: "I think you have to answer that when everyone's healthy. I mean, my opinion is that the Alcaraz is the best player. But on any given day, those guys can… [Jannik] Sinner's beaten Alcaraz multiple times as well. [Alexander] Zverev's won two Slams this year. He's had an unbelievable year. But yeah, I think that when everyone's fit and healthy, I would say that Alcaraz is the best player.

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"But we all have our biases though. I just love watching him play. I think he's a great personality, great character. I love his game style. He can hit every single shot. He's got a smile on his face when he's playing, and I love watching Carlos, so I'm going to go with him."

And sharing his reaction to the comments, Alcaraz said: "He's a nice guy. To be honest, I didn't expect having him in the stands watching. When I saw him I was really, really happy. A really long time that I haven't seen him around. And obviously hearing those things from him, such a legend for me, makes me happy.

"Someone who understands tennis like him, saying that he loves watching me play. I think it's fantastic and that means I just have great tennis. So hopefully see him around soon. But yeah, just really happy about it."

Alexander Zverev chasing down ATP number one Jannik Sinner

It was a very diplomatic response from Murray, who is well aware of the injuries that have impacted two of the biggest stars this season. After winning the Australian Open, Alcaraz missed Wimbledon and the French Open due to injury. And similarly, Sinner won Wimbledon but missed the US Open because of injury.

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It certainly paved the way for Zverev to make a major mark on the game, which he did expertly by winning the French Open and the US Open, either side of reaching the Wimbledon final. The trio are certainly a class above right now, fittingly occupying the top three spots in the ATP rankings.

But their positions could change dramatically before the season is over, with world number one Sinner under great pressure from world number two Zverev. The German can overtake the Italian at the summit of men's tennis, which would mark his first-ever climb to the top spot. After a superb run from Zverev, he is now just 1,810 points behind his rival. He is defending 1,080 points between now and the end of the season, with Sinner defending 3,550. Occupying third spot, Alcaraz is 4,130 points off second.

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