"Not all roads will look same as Djokovic or Federer or Nadal": Carlos Alcaraz is the best thing to happen to tennis in a while, says Mats Wilander

Carlos Alcaraz is the "most important" thing to happen to tennis in a long time, feels Mats Wilander, who hopes the Spaniard will find his own unique path in the sport in the coming years.

Speaking to Eurosport, Wilander admitted to watching the Spaniard in action at the Argentina Open and the Rio Open last month, marveling at how the crowd in Latin America accepted the teenager as one of their own. After winning the title in Argentina, Alcaraz earned a second-place finish in Brazil -- taking on Cameron Norrie in both finals.

The way Carlos Alcaraz handles himself on the court and his exciting level of play is what attracts tennis fans to him, in the eyes of the Swede.

“I saw all his matches in Argentina and Brazil, and I was worried about not seeing their same enthusiasm on the track, but it didn't and the crowd reacted very well. We all have the same feeling, Carlos Alcaraz is the most important thing that has happened to tennis in a long time, due to his behavior on the court and his way of playing," Wilander said.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion also opined that Alcaraz need not follow the same path as legends of the game like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. Instead, Wilander wants the World No. 2 to forge his own, adding that he is already seeing glimpses of Alcaraz doing the same.

"I think his spirit is there, and he is going to discover Carlos Alcaraz's way of approaching this game. Like Rafael Nadal, he has discovered it. And Alcaraz is [not] going to leave."

"Not all roads will look the same as Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal. They will have their own way. And I think Carlos Alcaraz will find it . But the most important thing is that the mentality and the spirit have not changed. And he conveys that he will never change," Wilander said.

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"We really don't know why he's been getting injured so much lately" - Mats Wilander on Carlos Alcaraz

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Mats Wilander also touched on Carlos Alcaraz's injury-prone nature, remarking that it was a subject that confounded him as well. After winning the US Open last year, the teenager suffered an injury during the Paris Masters, which forced him to pull out of the ATP Finals as well as this year's Australian Open.

In the final of the Rio Open on his comeback, Alcaraz suffered another injury -- in the same leg muscle he injured in Paris. Wilander wondered if it was a question of playing too many games on the trot, adding that it might be good for the Spaniard to train somewhere different, and preferably not on clay, in the future if he wants to limit injuries.

"He played 10 games in a row in two weeks, that's not easy for anyone, and less so on a slippery track like clay. We really don't know why he's been getting injured so much lately."

"And if it's a matter of maybe not playing too many games in a row, maybe that's the medicine for Carlos Alcaraz? Maybe he should train somewhere differently? Not training as hard, or playing less on the clay courts, because that's where he slips the most," Wilander said.