‘Stay away from that’ – Renowned analyst warns Carlos Alcaraz about Rafael Nadal comparisons
Former world number two Alex Corretja has stated that Carlos Alcaraz “will become number one in the world” as long as he “keeps on his own way” and “stays away” from the Rafael Nadal comparisons.
The 18-year-old sensation Carlos Alcaraz has had a fantastic start to the season so far.
The teenage star claimed his first ever ATP 500 title at the Rio Open in February and then followed up the victory by winning the Miami Masters a month later, where the young Spaniard became the youngest ever Miami Open champion and third youngest Masters-level winner in history.
Last week, the man from Murcia tasted even more success as he claimed his fourth career title at the Barcelona Open and as a result, achieved a new career-high of ninth in the world becoming the ninth youngest player ever to be ranked within the ATP top ten.
Additionally, he became the youngest player to break into the top ten since Rafael Nadal back in 2005.
Reflecting on the similarities and comparisons made between the two Spaniards, the two-time French Open runner-up Alex Corretja has argued that Carlos Alcaraz must “keep on his own way” and not get sucked into the Rafael Nadal comparisons.
He told Eurosport, “We all know that the comparison between Nadal and Alcaraz will exist. I think the most important thing for Carlos is just to stay away from that.
“He just needs to keep on his own way. It is normal to compare situations and rankings and results because if you become top ten in the same day, after winning the same tournament, being Spanish, it’s a big coincidence.
“It’s like the Karma of life, and something big is going to happen. I’m sure that he will overcome our careers (Spanish Tennis legends), the ones that are not Rafa’s.”
Corretja continued, claiming that despite Alcaraz’s inevitable rise to the summit of the ATP rankings, Nadal is still “another step” ahead of the Miami Masters champion.
“Rafa is another step, it’s another dimension, it’s something different. So, we leave that apart for the moment. But I’m 100% sure that he will become number one in the world, that he will win a slam and destroy all our records.”
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