“Playing better tennis than Rafael Nadal,” Paul Annacone picks out Carlos Alcaraz as favourite against Rafael Nadal
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Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal
Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz, who is one of the biggest talents on the ATP tour, ended his last season by claiming the Next Gen ATP Finals title by defeating Sebastian Korda in the finals with the score of 4-3,4-2,4-2. Since then he has been one of the favorites on the ATP tour.
The Australian Open 2022 marked the beginning of the new 2022 season for Alcaraz. He played the opening round of the tournament against Alejandro Tabilo, but his quest ended when he played the third round with Matteo Berrettini and lost with a score of 3-6,6-7,6-4,6-2,6-7. He then followed it up by clinching the title at the Rio Open.
Carlos Alcaraz has edge over Rafa Nadal according to Annacone
Tennis commentator Paul Annacone believes Carlos Alcaraz is the favorite in his Indian Wells semi-final contest against Rafael Nadal. The American feels the 18-year-old has played much better tennis than the Spanish veteran over the past fortnight. However, he also questioned whether Alcaraz could maintain his composure while playing his childhood idol.
The Indian Wells semifinal between the two Spaniards is one of the most highly anticipated clashes of the season so far. Nadal, a 21-time Grand Slam champion, is on a 19-match win streak, while Alcaraz has won 10 straight matches since his loss to Matteo Berrettini in the third round of the Australian Open.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Tennis Channel’s Live Podcast, Annacone remarked that the former World No. 1 must be more aggressive than he has this past fortnight when he steps out against Alcaraz.
“Carlos Alcaraz is playing better tennis than Rafael Nadal is playing right now. is arguably the greatest player ever and maybe the greatest problem-solver ever, but if he is real passive against Alcaraz, that is going to be rough,” said Annacone.
The 58-year-old pointed out that the teenager has shown the world how good he is at breaking serve, even outdoing his idol in that aspect. For reference, Carlos Alcaraz is yet to drop a set in the tournament. He has not played a single tie-break yet and has broken serve 20 times. Unless Alcaraz is bogged down by the “hero moment,” Annacone sees no reason why the World No. 19 cannot pull off a memorable upset.
“Jim Courier told us yesterday that Carlos Alcaraz is breaking serve more than Rafa is, and Rafa is the best in the business to do that. It tells you how good he is playing. biggest question is, can he get over the hero moment? That’s a really difficult thing to do,” revealed Annacone.
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