Carlos Alcaraz won Indian Wells last week (Image: Getty)
Feliciano Lopez has warned that Carlos Alcaraz and his career achievements must not be defined by how they compare to those of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Men’s tennis has been completely dominated by the ‘big three’ for the last 15 years, with them winning a staggering 66 majors between them.
We appear to be coming out of that era now, with Federer already retired and Nadal seemingly getting ready for one last season on the ATP Tour. Djokovic is still going strong, although he is 36 years old now.
Alcaraz, 20, has been hailed as the next big tennis star and with good reason. He has already won two majors, and he will be looking to add to that number in 2024.
However, compatriot Lopez says we must be careful not to allow what Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have achieved raise the bar too much for everyone else.
Carlos Alcaraz ‘incredibly good’
“At his age he has already won two Grand Slams and has been number one in the world,” Lopez told AS.
“He is one of those players that comes out every few years. But of course, we tend to compare him with Roger, Rafa, and Novak. People don’t realize what they’ve done.
“What happens if Alcaraz wins 15 Slams? It won’t be that big of a deal? The thing is that, until recently, Sampras was at 14 and a man from Manacor arrived and won 14 (Roland Garros titles).
“I have lived this time. I have played against them. What has happened is not going to be repeated, the probability is very low.
“We have to say, ‘hey, it’s unreal to see a Michael Jordan,’ three of them together every 15 years. Alcaraz is incredibly good. I have no explanation for those three.
“Let’s enjoy Alcaraz, his career. And if he wins 10, 12 or 13, time will tell, but let’s value what he has done.
“I have not seen a player his age play so well. I don’t know if Federer at 20 years old played like Carlos.”
