Roger Federer-like Carlos Alcaraz can decide the future history of tennis: Mats Wilander

Tennis great Mats Wilander recently compared Carlos Alcaraz to Roger Federer and heaped praise on the Spaniard.

Alcaraz made a name for himself at the age of 19, winning his first Major at the 2022 US Open and becoming the World No. 1 player by defeating the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal over the course of the year. The Spaniard also won the third Masters 1000 title of his career at Indian Wells earlier this month.

Mats Wilander recently stated in an interview (as quoted by Marca) that after Daniil Medvedev defeated Novak Djokovic at the 2021 US Open, people expected him to take charge of tennis, but that hasn't happened. However, he believes Carlos Alcaraz has the potential to do so and change the "future history" of the game.

"After Medvedev beat Djokovic two years ago at the US Open, we thought it would be him who would take charge of tennis. But it hasn't been like that because Novak and Nadal are still there and winning. Alcaraz can be the tennis player who decides the future history of our sport," Wilander said.

The Swedish then stated that the only tennis player he has seen with Alcaraz's arsenal of strokes and variety in his game is Roger Federer.

"I had only seen a tennis player with such an arsenal of strokes and variety in his game and his name was Roger Federer," Wilander said.

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Carlos Alcaraz attends Miami Heat basketball game ahead of his title defense at Miami Open 2023

Carlos Alcaraz pictured at the 2023 Miami Open - Day 3.

Carlos Alcaraz is currently in Miami and took advantage of the opportunity to attend a Miami Heat game before facing Facundo Bagnis in the second round of the 2023 Miami Open on Friday.

Alcaraz sat in the front row and reveled in an exciting duel in which the Heat defeated the New York Knicks 127-120, led by a stellar Jimmy Butler (35 points and 9 assists) display.

Following the meeting, Alcaraz and Butler exchanged greetings as well as a few words. The Spaniard also received a personalized Heat jersey with his name and number 23, along with a customized ball showcasing the Florida franchise's details.

He later took to Twitter to express his delight at meeting Jimmy Butler again. It was their second meeting, as the 19-year-old first met Butler earlier this year when the Miami Heat forward watched the Spanish teenager cruise to a resounding victory over Bernabe Zapata Miralles in Buenos Aires.

"Great night last night watching @MiamiHEAT in Miami! It was a pleasure to meet @DwyaneWade, and great to see you again @JimmyButler!" Alcaraz wrote.