Carlos Alcaraz is widely considered the heir of Rafael Nadal. According to Novak Djokovic, Carlito is already replacing Rafa at least in the heart of Nole’s son.
Earlier in the year, the world no.1 revealed that his son Stefan was a huge fan of Rafael Nadal However, during a recent interview in Madrid, the Serbian legend admitted that it is now Alcaraz Stefa’s favorite player.
Speaking in Spanish, Novak disclosed:
“In the last month, for my son, Nadal is no longer number one, Alcaraz is his favourite now. He really likes both. He imitates the way they play, Nadal’s forehand, and the emotion, it’s beautiful,” said Novak.
Novak Djokovic, en perfecto español, dice que Nadal ya no es el jugador favorito de su hijo. pic.twitter.com/TxaKPVNt0c
— Pablo Amalfitano (@AmalfiTenis) May 2, 2022
Carlos Alcaraz in 2022
Ranked world no.9 (career-high), Alcaraz played his last match on the 24th of April when he beat world no.22 Alex De Minaur 6-7(4) 7-6(4) 6-4 in the semifinal in Barcelona (draw).
At present, during this year Carlos has a compiled 23-3 record. Carlos conquered 3 titles in 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, in Miami and in Barcelona.
Rafael Nadal in 2022
Currently the world no.4, Nadal played his last match on the 20th of March when he was defeated by world no.13 Taylor Fritz 6-3 7-6(5) in the final in Indian Wells (draw).
Until now, during this year Rafael achieved an overall 20-1 record. Nadal clinched 3 titles in 2022 in Melbourne, at the Australian Open and in Acapulco. The Spaniard was the runner-up in Indian Wells.
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal played each other only on 2 occasions. Their current head to head is 2-0 for Nadal. Previously, the last time they fought against each other, Rafael Nadal won 6-4 4-6 6-3 in the semifinal in Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open) on the 19th of March 2022.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.
Novak Djokovic in 2022
Now the world no.1, the Serbian played his last encounter on the 24th of April when he was defeated by world no.8 Andrey Rublev 6-2 6-7(4) 6-0 in the final in Belgrade (draw).
During this season the Serbian has a 5-3 win-loss record. Novak Djokovic’s latest run in Belgrade was the best achievement of his season.