Carlos Alcaraz congratulates Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and Barcelona's Alexia Putellas on winning Ballon d'Or 

Carlos Alcaraz took to social media to congratulate footballers Karim Benzema and Alexia Putellas for winning the men's and women's Ballon d'Or this year.

Alcaraz etched his name in the record books after he triumphed at the US Open in September. By virtue of his maiden Grand Slam win, the 19-year-old became the youngest male player to climb to the top of the ATP rankings.

The Ballon d'Or is an annual award presented by the French news magazine France Football. The teenager took to Instagram to congratulate Real Madrid's French striker Benzema and Barcelona women's captain Putellas.

"Vamos Karim Benzema," Carlos Alcaraz captioned his Instagram story, along with, "Felicidades Alexia Putellas."

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Perhaps he can be a replacement” – Former Spanish tennis player Carla Suarez Navarro on Carlos Alcaraz filling the imminent void of Rafael Nadal

Carla Suarez Navarro pictured at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Former tennis professional Carla Suarez Navarro recently reflected on players who could potentially fill the void once Rafael Nadal retires from the sport.

Nadal has a record 22 Grand Slam singles titles under his belt. The Spaniard is currently ranked No. 2 and has won two Grand Slam titles this season - the Australian Open and the French Open. However, at 36 years of age, Nadal is currently at the fag end of his career.

In an interview with AS, Navarro stated that Carlos Alcaraz has the potential to emulate Nadal's success in the sport after the veteran retires.

“Young players are coming and it is lucky that we have Carlitos [Carlos Alcaraz], we should enjoy him and I think he will give us a lot of success in the future; Perhaps he can be a replacement [to Rafael Nadal], because, obviously, Rafa continues, but we are in his last years,” she said.

Navarro continued by raving about the teenager. She said that Alcaraz "is a very complete player at his age" but added that there was also a lot of room for improvement.

“Yes, probably, he is a very complete player at his age. It is true that the players have a lot of room for improvement at 18 and 19 years old, Alcaraz does too, but he is very, very complete. And, when I say very complete, I mean on a tennis, physical and mental level. What I would highlight is his mental strength. At his age, he has saved match points in several of his titles. The team around him is also very important,” she observed.