“Stop comparing him to me” Rafael Nadal frustrated with constant Carlos Alcaraz comparisons
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Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz
World No. 4 Rafael Nadal was an entirely unique entity when he turned Pro and became a Tour regular. With his unmatchable fighting spirit and stamina to survive and win long rallies, the southpaw quickly rose to stardom as not many players could cope with the young Spaniard’s gameplay which was a breath of fresh air on the Tour.
With many fans waiting to see if another Nadal will ever emerge, the prayers were answered almost 2 decades later with the rise of currently the World no. 6 Carlos Alcaraz. Unlike Nadal, Alcaraz is a right-handed player but that remains the only difference between the two players as spotted by many.
Carlitos has already matched Nadal’s entry into the Top-20, Top-15 and Top-10 of the rankings and also broken various records of him including capturing Masters title. With both players being Spaniards, a lot has been similar between them when it comes to their on-court mannerisms and ability
“The only thing we can do is enjoy the career of an amazing player like Carlos and it will be better, even if it’s interesting, that you stop comparing him to me. If he is able to win 25 Grand Slams, it’s going to be amazing for him and our country and I will be happy for him, but let’s let him enjoy his personal career. I enjoyed my personal career and I think I am super happy with the way I was able to manage my tennis career and it’s his moment now to manage his personal career the way he wants it.
“We cannot be all the time thinking about how I was and how he is today. He is what he is, and he is fantastic and probably in 2004 I will not say about myself that I was fantastic, but I think I was quite good too,” said an annoyed Nadal in his press conference after making a winning start at the 2022 Rome Masters where he is the defending champion.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are both dubbed as title contenders at the French Open
Having won the 2022 Madrid Open, his second Masters title, Alcaraz announced his withdrawal from the 2022 Rome Masters in order to recoup and be ready for the 2022 French Open where he is eyeing his first Grand Slam title. Given his exploits on Clay with four of his 5 career titles coming on Clay of which two are ATP-500 and one is ATP-1000, Alcaraz is a strong contender for the French Open where Nadal will be looking for his 14th French Open title and 22nd Grand Slam title.
Also Read: “I’m the best on grass”: Nick Kyrgios makes outrageous claims ahead of Wimbledon
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)