Carlos Alcaraz is often compared to Rafael Nadal because of his nationality and career progression. Like Rafa, Carlito is already achieving fantastic results despite being still a teenager. The 18-year-old has already won 3 titles and one of them is the prestigious Miami Open.
Alcaraz similar to Nadal
During a recent interview Spanish team captain (Billie Jean King Cup), Anabel Medina Garrigues, explained why it is normal comparing Carlito to Rafa.
“We are living it very enthusiastically. What Rafa has done over the years has been impressive and it is not positive for Carlos that we compare him with Rafa, but the truth is that in terms of progression, taking into account their age, the path of the two is very similar. Nadal himself says — and I agree — that Carlos is very similar to him. By character, physique and bravery.
He’s not afraid and says he wants to win Grand Slams and be number one. This makes us very happy to see that we will have a replacement for Nadal at the top of the rankings. It doesn’t mean that he will win 20 Grand Slams, but he will be the next reference in Spanish tennis. I really enjoy watching him play. He is very different from Rafa, he has nothing to do with it, but he also has very current tennis: aggressive, powerful, serves well and likes to hit the net. And he likes the big stages.”
Carlos Alcaraz in 2022
LWWWLWWWWW Ranked world no.11 (career-high), Carlos played his last match on the 3rd of April when he overcame world no.7 Casper Ruud 7-5 6-4 in the final in Miami to win his 3rd career title.
This season Alcaraz owns a compiled 18-2 record. Alcaraz clinched 2 titles in 2022 in Rio de Janeiro and in Miami.
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 the Spaniard owns an overall 20-1 record. Nadal clinched 3 titles in 2022 in Melbourne, at the Australian Open and in Acapulco. The Spaniard was the finalist in Indian Wells.
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal fought against each other just twice. Their record is 2-0 for Nadal. The last time they played, Rafael Nadal won 6-4 4-6 6-3 in the semifinal in Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open) on the 19th of March 2022.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal |
| Embed from Getty Images |
