"He’s going to be nearly impossible to beat," Wilander believes Alcaraz is following in the footsteps of the Big-3

Mats Wilander has drawn comparisons between Carlos Alcaraz and tennis legends Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic just hours before Alcaraz's first French Open final. The 21-year-old Spaniard will be aiming for his third Grand Slam title this Sunday, following his victories at the 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon.

According to former world No. 1 Wilander, Alcaraz will be “nearly impossible to beat,” arriving with sky-high confidence after a tremendous victory over the new world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros semifinals. Alcaraz triumphed 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Alcaraz following in the footsteps of the Big-3, according to Wilander

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Wilander, speaking on Eurosport, expressed his amazement at the high level Alcaraz has demonstrated in recent weeks. Wilander, a three-time Roland Garros champion, commented that Alcaraz’s potential is on par with that of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.

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“Once he realises that he has to play like this in certain matches - less dropshots, less fancy - he’s going to be nearly impossible to beat because he’s great when he’s aggressive and he’s great when he defends,” Wilander said.

“Today, he showed that he’s going to be as good as Roger, Rafa, and Novak at defence,” he added. “Maybe not quite yet, but he will learn and he’s quick enough to do that.”

Alcaraz at 2024 French Open.

Chris Evert highlights Alcaraz's growth

Seven-times French Open champion Chris Evert praised Alcaraz’s ability to innovate and grow as a player. She noted that a year ago, he won the Wimbledon title on grass, and now he is just one match away from achieving the same feat on clay.

“The Spanish players have always been known to be experts on the clay courts,” Evert said. “Remember their years when they didn’t play Wimbledon? They were so good on the clay but were not very good on the grass. Carlos is another breed. You need an hour to talk about his talent.”

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