Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon triumph doesn’t surprise Rafael Nadal who sees Novak Djokovic as the only ‘rival’ for the youngster

Rafael Nadal praises Carlos Alcaraz for his level of tennis.

Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon triumph doesn’t surprise Rafael Nadal who sees Novak Djokovic as the only ‘rival’ for the youngster

Rafael Nadal(L) and Carlos Alcaraz(R) (Image via Peoples Gazette)

Spanish tennis veteran Rafael Nadal has revealed that compatriot Carlos Alcaraz’s win over Novak Djokovic does not surprise him. He believes that although Alcaraz is still young and a fresh World No.1, the only opponent to the youngster is Djokovic at the moment.

The rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic has been the leading topic in the tennis world these past few years. Their constant meetings at the final stages of tournaments have led to audiences putting their rivalry ahead of all others in tennis. Some people even predicted a Djokovic vs. Alcaraz final in the US Open as early as the opening round. However, Alcaraz could not seem to keep up on the streak. He had lost to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final.

YouTube video

“He has been the World No.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, ” said the ‘King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal in an interview with AS. Nadal also admitted that the only viable rivalry for the Spanish youngster is Novak Djokovic. He also revealed that seeing Alcaraz from outside the court was a different experience. According to Nadal, Alcaraz dictates the pace and outcome of the game most of the time he is competing on the court.

FS Video

Nadal also said that he was not quite surprised that Alcaraz won the Wimbledon final against Djokovic. The Nadal-Djokovic rivalry has kept the flames hot in the tennis world for the better part of two decades now. However, has been Nadal waning himself off the court, getting ready for retirement. This has made audiences think that Alcaraz is the perfect candidate to keep this rivalry alive. The youngster has been compared to the veteran Spaniard numerous times, both because of similar games and similar nationalities.

Related: Roger Federer suggests the ‘superstar’ doubles combination Team Europe and Team World can go with at the Laver Cup

Nadal hopes to be competitive once again

Rafael Nadal has revealed in an interview with Movistar+ that he wishes to be able to play in a competitive manner once again. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not played on the tour since the 2023 Australian Open.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (Image via Tennis365)

While Nadal has a most recent Grand Slam title at the 2022 French Open, injury put a stop to his winning streak. The Spaniard was in such good form when he beat top-ranked players such as Daniil Medvedev and Casper Ruud in the Australian Open and the French Open respectively. With two Grand Slams in the same year, Nadal was back to his best form. However, injury is a sportsperson’s biggest enemy.

Nevertheless, the Spaniard wishes to be somewhat competitive in his swan song. While the Spaniard understands that another Grand Slam title might be completely out of the question for him, he still wishes to be able to fight for other titles.

In case you missed it:

Follow Firstsportz on WhatsApp Channel