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Feliciano López described Carlos Alcaraz's rise to victory in the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic as a blessing.
The 41-year-old Spaniard emphasized the significance of his compatriot's achievements on the ATP tour, as it is quite rare for someone at such a young age to challenge Djokovic on the Centre Court and come out victorious in a place where Djokovic had not lost since 2013 and had won the trophy 7 times:
"You know how important it is to win Wimbledon at only 20 years old," Lopez told Sky Sports News.
"It's very rare to see someone like Carlos winning titles at 20 years old, being able to really challenge Novak Djokovic in the final yesterday at Wimbledon.
"I think he's very mature for his age and the proof is how brave he was yesterday when the match was going through the most difficult times in the fifth set, he showed some bravery. He was convinced that he could do it.
"As Novak said after in the press conference, I think Carlos, apart from his tennis skills and abilities, everything that he has, his mental strength is something very impressive for a kid.
"He's carrying a lot of pressure since he started playing professional tennis, the comparison with [Rafael] Nadal and [the rest of] the Big Three is going to be always there.
"But he seems to be comfortable carrying the pressure and it's very impressive what he's done so far."
It's remarkable that Alcaraz is rising to prominence just as Rafael Nadal is reaching the end of his career.
"We [Spain] are not a very powerful country in terms of sports and I call it a little bit like a miracle because it's very rare to see someone like Carlos, especially the timing when Rafa is about to finish," Lopez said.
"We have Carlitos breaking through it's really amazing for Spain in general, for everyone because it's something very rare to see."
"Of course we have to wait. Only time will tell how many Slams and titles he can win. But I think it's a real blessing for tennis to have someone like him. Because I think the way he plays is very different from the majority of players out there and this is something that we all have to enjoy," Lopez said.
"If I take everything that he's done already, I could say that he could be one of the greatest but on the other hand, it's very early to say. What about 15 Grand Slams? How does that sound?
"I don't know how far he can get, but it's very difficult to get as far [as he's got] at his age.
"We all have to sit down and enjoy the way he plays."
"It is true that Carlitos has a little bit of all of them. He has the mental strength from Rafa, the physical condition from Rafa and Nole, the tennis skills. I see similarities with Roger on the anticipation and on many other things. It's a very strong statement, I have to say, to say that," Lopez said.
"I do agree with that," he concluded.
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