Rafael Nadal claims that Novak Djokovic is currently Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘only rival’ and he also said that he wasn’t shocked by the Spaniard’s victory against the Serb in the Wimbledon final. Twenty-year-old Alcaraz already has a rather amazing record with his two Grand Slam victories and five Masters titles.
Nadal stated his remarks about Alcaraz in a recent interview: “I think that Carlos is a little surprised by what he can do. He has been number one in the world until recently. And although he is very young, right now, practically, the only rival I see for him is Djokovic.”
Nadal said he wasn’t surprised at Alcaraz’s Wimbledon victory saying: “He is a step above everyone else. My feeling from outside the circuit is that when he plays, the matches normally depend on him 90% of the day. In that sense, I think that what happened at Wimbledon does not surprise me and that it is not surprising, it means how good Carlos is and in that case, everything that the level he has implies.”
He further added: “The reality is that it is fantastic news for sport and for tennis to have someone like him, who is doing what he is doing and, on top of that, with so much time ahead of him.”
Rafa Nadal says the only rival he sees for Carlos Alcaraz is Novak Djokovic:
“He has been the world #1 until recently. Although he is very young, right now, practically, the only rival I see for him is Djokovic. He is one step above the others. My feeling from outside the… pic.twitter.com/mDa6MlZKoA
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 20, 2023
Rafael Nadal in 2023
Now ranked no.237, the Spaniard played his last match on the 18th of January when he was defeated by world no.39 Mackenzie Mcdonald 6-4 6-4 7-5 in the 2nd round of the Australian Open (draw).
Presently, during this year Nadal has managed to achieve a compiled 1-3 match record.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2023
WWWWWWWWWW Now ranked no.2, Alcaraz played his last match on the 8th of September when he was defeated by world no.3 Daniil Medvedev 7-6(3) 6-1 3-6 6-3 in the semifinal of the U.S. Open (draw).
This year Carlos has managed to achieve a compiled 58-7 win-loss record. The Spaniard has won 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. Alcaraz reached the final in Rio de Janeiro and Cincinnati.
Alcaraz is scheduled to play next in Beijing (China Open). He will start from the main draw that will commence on the 28th of September.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz played each other 3 times. Their actual head to head record is 2-1 for Nadal. The last time they squared off, Carlos Alcaraz won 6-2 1-6 6-3 in the quarter in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) in May 2022.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz |
| Embed from Getty Images |
