Ion Tiriac issues warning to tennis fans about Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz is only 21 years old and has already won four Grand Slams. Had he played any other player than Novak Djokovic in the Paris Olympics men's final, the Spaniard would have a gold medal to his name as well. That will probably come in the future. Possibly in four years at the Los Angeles Olympics when Alcaraz could have won another six major titles or more.

Alcaraz is not ranked No. 1 currently but there is little doubt that he is playing like the best player on the ATP tour right now, even though he lost in the second round of the Cincinnati Open on Friday to Gael Monfils. He won the French Open and then destroyed Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. By the time the Cincinnati Open is done, Alcaraz will probably be ranked No. 2 behind Jannik Sinner.

There seems to be little doubt that should Alcaraz remain mostly healthy, he will easily get double-digit Grand Slam titles and could eventually challenge Djokovic for the all-time record of 24. That isn't because Alcaraz is simply as good as Djokovic - though maybe he is - because the Spaniard appears to likely have less competition than the Serb did as Djokovic had to battle Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal quite often.

Ion Tiriac says to hold up on the love for Carlos Alcaraz but for a good reason

Ion Tiriac, someone who has never held back from letting his opinion be known (and to be sure, Tiriac's opinions are well-formed and logical for the most part), says to hold up on all the attention Alcaraz is getting, though. The reason is not that Tiriac thinks the Spaniard isn't good, but that his future - and future earning power - is going to be much better.

Tiriac knows how to make money, too. After his tennis career was over, he helped develop a lot of different companies. His current net worth is more than one billion dollars.

When Tiriac says to wait a bit on all the love directed at Carlos Alcaraz, he says so because the money that the Spaniard makes now will look like penance compared to future earnings.

Tiriac told We Are Tennis, "(Alcaraz is) a talented player, he’s sensational, he has incredible leg speed and power. But I think we’re making a bit too much of him, that we already want to reap the economic benefits when we’re only at the beginning of his career. We have to be much more patient, leave him alone because the dollar we earn today is nothing compared to what we can earn in a few years."

For those keeping count, Alcaraz's net worth is currently reported to be about $60 million. That is going to increase exponentially, though, through endorsements and tournament victories, among other things.

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