Former tennis player Feliciano Lopez stated that Carlos Alcaraz is the greatest player he has ever seen compete at his age and that comparing him to Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic is unfair.
The former tennis legend questioned whether the accomplishments of the Big Three would make Alcaraz’s 15 Grand Slam titles less significant. Alcaraz turned 20 in May, and his wins at the Wimbledon Championships this year and the US Open in 2022 have already earned him two Grand Slam titles.
Following his victory at Flushing Meadows last year, the Spaniard became the youngest player to be ranked world No. 1 in the ATP Rankings. The men’s Grand Slam titles won by Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer are ranked 24, 22, and 20, respectively, making up the all-time top three.
During an interview, Lopez emphasized the achievements of Alcaraz so far and urged fans to appreciate his career instead of drawing comparisons with the great Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic trio.
He expressed his thoughts and said: “At his age, he has already won two Grand Slams and has been number one. He is one of those players that comes out every few years. But of course, we tend to compare him with Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. People don’t realise what they’ve done. What happens if Alcaraz wins 15 Slams? It won’t be that big of a deal.”
Lopez added: “We have to do an exercise in pedagogy and say, Hey, it’s unreal to see Michael Jordan and three of them together every 15 years. Alcaraz is excellent. I have no explanation for those three. How do you tell someone who dreams of being a tennis player or winning a major that there is a guy, Nadal, who has won Roland Garros 14 times? Let’s enjoy Alcaraz’s 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 played like Carlos at 20 years old.”
Feliciano Lopez says the tennis world should appreciate Alcaraz for what he’s done instead of comparing him to Nadal, Federer, & Djokovic:
"At his age he has already won two Grand Slams & has been #1. He is one of those players that comes out every few years. But of course, we… pic.twitter.com/OB0rcVvCef
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) December 17, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz in 2023
WWWWWWWWWW Ranked no.2, Carlos played his last match on the 18th of November when he was overcome by world no.1 Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-2 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
This season the Spaniard has a 65-12 match record. Carlos clinched 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. The Spaniard was the runner-up in Rio de Janeiro and Cincinnati.
