Being Spanish, the comparisons between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal will likely exist until the end of time.
Alcaraz is the new world number two in the ATP world rankings, and he hopes to close down Jannik Sinner at the top in the coming months.
The 21-year-old will accept this as a challenge, and it would certainly be helpful if he could get a few more points on the board before the Italian star returns from his three-month ban at the Italian Open next month.
Yesterday, Alcaraz beat American novice Ethan Quinn in his first match at the Barcelona, and he will be hoping to add this title to the Monte Carlo Masters crown he added to his mantlepiece over the weekend.
Carlos Alcaraz changes his mind over breaking French Open record held by Rafael Nadal
At some point in the future, there will surely be a court named after Nadal given his unrivalled exploits at Roland Garros as a player who proved an immovable object when he was on the court.
Nadal collected 14 of his 23 Grand Slam titles at the French Open and on the clay, he really did prove to be a master of his trade across a number of years.
Given that Alcaraz and Nadal will constantly be compared, the youngster has now changed his mind on whether or not he can match the legendary Roland Garros figure, after initially suggesting he might be able to break his record.
He told Marca: “Yes. What Rafa has done on clay is the greatest in sports and not just in tennis. Winning 14 Roland Garros, 11 times in Monte Carlo, eight in a row, that’s incredible. Only people who aren’t from this world are capable of doing it.”
Alcaraz has one title to his name at the French Open and after a couple more tournaments on the clay, he will soon be switching his focus to the first defence of his title at a tournament that he will look to become dominant at.
Alcaraz predicts who will be number one at the end of 2025
Last year, Alcaraz was asked who he thought would be the number one player in the world at the end of 2024 and he named Sinner, who currently sits way ahead of the field.
Now, he’s been asked the question again for this year and he’s remained somewhat more coy with Alcaraz now in the battle himself to become the world’s best-ranked player.
He said: “That’s a good question. I don’t know. I think we’re in a good fight. Jannik is ahead, but that’s what I said. I try to focus on what’s really important, and for me, it’s not the ranking. We’re trying to take the emphasis off winning.
“The most important thing is to enjoy it, and if I lose, to leave the court saying that I’m on the right path, that I did well, and that I enjoyed it. From there, move forward.”
Alcaraz is next in action tomorrow when he faces Laslo Djere and it looks extremely likely that he will claim another title in Barcelona when the weekend comes around.
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