"He manages to put on a show and ignite the crowd every time": Sharapova excited about growth of Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz has many admirers among former players and one of those is Maria Sharapova who is excited about seeing what will happen in his career.

Alcaraz broke out last year with an incredible series of results that saw him win a couple of events including a Masters one. He continued his rise throughout the year making his way to a maiden grand slam where he bested Casper Ruud in the final. He became world number one at that moment, the youngest one we've ever seen in the sport.

Sharapova has followed his career since the breakout and speaking with the Italian media, she admitted that he's incredible and she can't wait to see where his career will go:

"Carlos [Alcaraz] it's incredible. What fascinates me most about him is his fighting spirit on every point. He manages to put on a show and ignite the crowd every time he sets foot on the field. I can't wait to see him grow, I'm really curious to see where he can go and what he can do."

It's likely going to trend only upward but only time will tell. Since his rise, Alcaraz has been compared to many players including compatriot Rafael Nadal which was mostly due to both being Spanish and having a similar rapid rise in the sport. To Sharapova, he's not Nadal but rather his own player with his own style and personality:

"I think in the beginning, the comparisons to Rafa [Nadal] were inevitable but he's developing a style and a personality of his own that will make him a one-of-a-kind player."

He always maintained that he wants to be the first Carlos Alcaraz as opposed to a copy of other historically great players. He's on his way to becoming just that but he'll need to keep it up.