"Carlos Alcaraz is a future World No. 1, he’s going to be part of whatever Big number exists at the time" - Prakash Amritraj

Former tennis player Prakash Amritraj has tipped Carlos Alcaraz to be World No. 1 in the future.

The Spaniard has had an impressive 2022 season so far, with three titles to his name already. The most recent of these came at Barcelona over the weekend. Alcaraz fought off Alex de Minaur in three sets before beating compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 to win the Barcelona Open.

Amritraj was asked on Twitter whether the 18-year-old would be able to expand the Big 3 of men's tennis into a 'Big 4'. The 38-year-old responded by saying that Alcaraz is a future World No. 1 and would be part of whatever "big number exists at the time."

"He's (Alcaraz) a future world number 1… he’s going to be part of whatever Big number exists at the time," Amritraj said.

Carlos Alcaraz breaks into top 10 of ATP rankings

Carlos Alcaraz is currently ranked ninth in the ATP rankings

With his triumph at Barcelona, Carlos Alcaraz entered the top 10 of the ATP rankings for the first time in is career. The Spaniard currently occupies the ninth spot behind Andrey Rublev.

Alcaraz has won 23 out of 26 matches this season, with three titles to his name already. The teenager won his maiden ATP 500 title at the Rio Open by beating Diego Schwartzman in the final. He then won the biggest title of his career at the Miami Masters, defeating Casper Ruud in the title clash. The Barcelona Open is the fourth title of the teenager's fledgling career.

Alcaraz also reached the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters earlier this year before losing to Rafael Nadal. The King of Clay took to Twitter to congratulate the World No. 9 on his triumph in Barcelona.

"Congratulations to Carlos for the title in Barcelona. Also Pablo for the final. A spectacular week for both and for Spanish tennis that once again has a winner," Nadal wrote.

Alcaraz will be among the favorites to win the remaining tournaments on the clay calendar, starting with the Madrid Open from May 1-8. The Masters 1000 event will likely see both Nadal and Novak Djokovic competing, making for a competitive field.

The tournament will also witness participation from the likes of reigning Monte-Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, Serbia Open winner Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud, among others.