"This shows how Rafa's teenage sensation was way so underrated, he was THE teenage beast" - Tennis fans react as Carlos Alcaraz is set to become youngest Top-5 entrant since Rafael Nadal

The comparisons between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal had a new chapter added on Saturday, after the Spanish sensation became the youngest player since Nadal to break into the top 5 of the ATP Rankings.

Alcaraz's newest achievement, the latest bit of similarity to Nadal in terms of how their tennis careers developed, has got the entire tennis world drawing even more parallels between the two Spaniards.

Alcaraz confirmed his entry into the ATP top 5 by reaching the final of the Hamburg European Open with a win over Alex Molcan in the semifinals. He will officially jump to the World No. 5 spot after the latest round of rankings is released on Monday.

The teenager could have risen as high as World No. 4 had he won the title. But he only managed a runner-up finish in Hamburg, losing to Lorenzo Musetti in the summit clash.

Carlos Alcaraz will make his top 5 debut at the age of 19 years and 2 months, while Rafael Nadal did so when he was 18 years and 11 months old. In light of Alcaraz coming closest to matching Nadal's feat, one fan reflected on Nadal's youth and how good he was back in the early and mid-2000s.

"This only shows how Rafa's teenage sensation was waaayyy so underrated. He was THE teenage beast," said a post on Twitter.

Alcaraz's rise to the top of the rankings comes in the midst of a breakthrough year for him on the ATP tour. Two of his four titles in 2022 are Masters 1000 titles, in Miami and Madrid.

Most impressively, Alcaraz did not drop a single set in all four of those finals. At the Madrid Masters, he defeated Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev in consecutive matches to clinch the title.

"So happy for Alcaraz, as will Rafa be also! Alcaraz, is a brilliant Tennis player, with also a brilliant attitude on the court. He's a joy to watch!!" said another tweet.

Here are a few more reactions from fans on the same:

David Ferrer believes Carlos Alcaraz will be a better player than him

Hamburg European Open 2022 - Day 9

David Ferrer, another Spanish superstar, recently had his say on the comparisons between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal. Ferrer had great things to say about Alcaraz and even claimed that the 19-year-old would eventually become better than he himself ever was.

But Ferrer also believes "Nadal" is too big a word in tennis history. He claimed that comparing anyone to the indomitable Mallorcan was setting them up for failure.

"Alcaraz is a great player, and without a doubt he is going to be a much better tennis player than me, that is very clear to me, but Nadal is a big word," the former World No. 3 said.

"Carlos has to make his career, but I'm sure he's going to reach number one and win grand slams, because mentally he's a very well-established player," added Ferrer.

Carlos Alcaraz has a great chance to further climb the rankings chart as he does not have a lot of points to defend from now until the end of the season. While he did make the US Open quarterfinals last year - his maiden Slam quarterfinal appearance - Alcaraz lost in the second round of the 2021 Cincinnati Masters and did not compete at the National Bank Open.