Carlos Alcaraz is going to dominate the circuit when Novak Djokovic is gone: Feliciano Lopez
Former tennis player Feliciano Lopez believes that Carlos Alcaraz is going to dominate the circuit once Novak Djokovic retires.
Alcaraz ended Djokovic's dominance at Wimbledon with a statement victory in the final. A new champion at the grass-court Major outside of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Djokovic since 2002, has opened debates about a potential shift in the sport's landscape.
In a recent conversation with Relevo, Lopez opined that Alcaraz is on par with Djokovic and that the Serb's retirement will result in the possible dominance of his counterpart.
"Carlos and Nole [Djokovic] are the two best in the world by far. We'll see how the year ends. Novak has two Grand Slams and Carlos has one. I think Alcaraz is going to dominate the circuit when Nole is gone, if everything remains the same," Feliciano Lopez stated.
Lopez further stated that Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon triumph was a huge step in his career.
"A spectacular match. It is very difficult to affirm that a new era has begun, but I do believe that it is a very big step in Carlos's career to beat Nole in a Wimbledon final," he continued.
Alcaraz, 20, became the third youngest men's champion at Wimbledon. It was a second major title for the Spaniard who bagged the US Open last year.
"It's very rare to see someone like Carlos Alcaraz win titles at 20" - Feliciano Lopez
Carlos Alcaraz has already won 12 titles on the ATP Tour, including two Grand Slams and Feliciano Lopez believes that it is the Spaniard's maturity that has given him such a headstart to his career.
Speaking to Sky Sports recently, Lopez stated that Alcaraz showed immense courage in difficult situations during the Wimbledon final.
"It's very rare to see someone like Carlos win titles at 20, to be able to challenge Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. I think he is very mature for his age and the proof is the courage with which he faced the most difficult moments of the match in the fifth set," Lopez said.
He also stated that the Spaniard has always been comfortable dealing with pressure.
"He's been under a lot of pressure since he started playing professional tennis. He seems comfortable with the pressure and it's really impressive what he's done so far," the 41-year-old added.
Feliciano Lopez retired from professional tennis in June 2023. He played his farewell match at the Mallorca Open, where he lost to Yannick Hanfman in the quarterfinals. Known for his strong serve, the former World No. 12 secured seven titles during his career.