Carlos Alcaraz's rise to Wimbledon champion has been hailed by fellow Spaniard, Feliciano Lopez, as a positive for the sport.
Alcaraz overcame a loss in the first set to fire back and defeat the 23-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in an enthralling Wimbledon final. The victory also gave Alcaraz his second career Grand Slam after the 20-year-old won the US Open in September 2022.
Throughout grass season, Alcaraz earned plaudits from many after he won Queen's before heading to the All England Club to seal his Wimbledon title. His compatriot and former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Lopez told Sky Sports that Alcaraz is a one-of-a-kind player, with elements of all the 'Big Three' players.
"It's a real blessing for tennis to have someone like him. The way he plays is very different from the majority of players out there,"
"It is true that Carlitos has a little bit of all of them. He has the mental strength from Rafa, the physical condition from Rafa and Nole, the tennis skills. I see similarities with Roger on the anticipation and on many other things. It's a very strong statement, I have to say, to say that,"
Since Alcaraz turned professional at the age of 16, there has been plenty of hype around his career and potential to become a multiple Grand Slam winner. However, Lopez believes the 20-year-old has what it takes to block out the noise and eventually rival the careers of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.
"He's carrying a lot of pressure since he started playing professional tennis, the comparison with [Rafael] Nadal and [the rest of] the Big Three is going to be always there."
"But he seems to be comfortable carrying the pressure and it's very impressive what he's done so far."
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