Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are still in the early stages of their careers, but Feliciano Lopez is already grateful for their rivalry.
Lopez, a three-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist and two-time Cinch Championships men's singles title winner, is now the tournament director at the Davis Cup Finals.
There is additional pressure on Lopez to do his job well this year because Rafael Nadal will end his illustrious career at this year's Davis Cup Finals, held on home soil in Malaga.
Lopez has promised that a special celebration is being planned for Nadal's farewell, although he did not want to reveal any details since that could ruin what is put together for the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
Alcaraz and Sinner have both committed to playing at the event. Players who go far in the ATP Finals sometimes withdraw from the Davis Cup Finals, but Alcaraz is on the Spanish team alongside Nadal, so there is no chance of him doing that.
Sinner and Alcaraz undoubtedly established themselves as the two best players in 2024. The Italian won the US Open and Australian Open and became the world No. 1, while Alcaraz secured the titles at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Speaking at an event promoting the Davis Cup Finals, Lopez said tennis was lucky to have Alcaraz and Sinner's rivalry and thinks their opposing personalities add an extra layer to their matches.
"We are very lucky in the tennis industry to have Sinner and Alcaraz leading this new generation of players. They have different personalities and that adds something to this rivalry. I hope they can play for the next ten years."
"Sinner is an unbelievable athlete as well. He has won only two Slams, but he could have won more. He is more mature and more confident in his skills and his potential in general since he won the Australian Open. We are going to see so many matches between Alcaraz and Sinner. As a tennis fan, I feel very lucky that they came at the right time."
Lopez thinks what Alcaraz, in particular, has done at the age of 21 is incredible. While there is time in the future to compare Alcaraz and Sinner to Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, Lopez is currently grateful they are leading the next generation of tennis.
"Carlos is so young and he has achieved so much for his age. We will have time to compare, but it’s truly remarkable what he has achieved. He has four Slams and he is only 21. It’s truly remarkable what Carlos has achieved over the last three years."
"We will have time to compare him to other players in the future, but tennis is lucky to have Sinner and Alcaraz leading this new generation of players. This is a true blessing for tennis. We have been lucky to have these great players in Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, but that era is coming to an end."
"At this moment when two of them are gone and we don’t know how much Novak is going to play, hopefully Sinner and Alcaraz can have a great rivalry for many years to come."