"Carlos Alcaraz can be World No. 1, he's only 18, but you only have to look at the way he's played over the last 6 months" - Boris Becker

Tennis legend Boris Becker believes Carlos Alcaraz can become World No. 1 if he continues to progress at his current rate. The six-time Grand Slam champion feels that the Spaniard has the mentality to want "to go further" rather than being satisfied with reaching the semifinals of events and facing elite players.

The 18-year-old defeated Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-4 in the final of the 2022 Miami Open earlier this month to claim his maiden Masters 1000 crown. He became the first Spanish man to win the tournament in its 37-year history, with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario the only Spanish woman to triumph in Miami.

The Murcian also broke Novak Djokovic's record to become the youngest Miami Open men's winner. He is also the third youngest ATP Masters 1000 champion after Michael Chang and his idol Rafael Nadal.

Speaking on Eurosport's 'Das Gelbe Vom Ball' podcast, former World No. 1 Becker asserted that Alcaraz's recent form shows he is capable of topping the ATP rankings in the future.

"If everything continues normally, then yes he can be world No. 1," Becker said. "He's only 18, but you only have to look at the way he's played over the last six months. He went to Miami and just kept winning. He has the mentality to not just be satisfied with reaching a semi-final, or be playing the best players in the world - he wants to go further and [we saw that] by winning his first Masters title against a top opponent."

The teenage star has climbed to a career-high ranking of World No. 11 following his superb 18-3 start to the 2022 season. He currently has 3,320 ATP ranking points, while World No. 1 Djokovic sits on 8,420.

The Spaniard does not have a significant number of points to defend until the US Open, where he reached the quarterfinals in 2021.

Carlos Alcaraz will feature at next week's Barcelona Open

Alcaraz during his second-round match against Sebastian Korda at the 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

Carlos Alcaraz will next compete at the 2022 Barcelona Open, which will be held from 18-24 April. The Spaniard featured at the ATP 500 tournament as a wildcard last year, losing to Frances Tiafoe in the opening round.

The 18-year-old is the No. 5 seed at the event and will face either Kwon Soon-woo or Benoit Paire in the second round. He lost in three sets to Sebastian Korda in his opening match at this week's Monte-Carlo Masters.

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