Former World no.2 Alex Corretja believes it is imperative for Carlos Alcaraz to stay away from Rafael Nadal comparisons. It is natural that Alcaraz will be likened with the veteran as the youngster has shown the skills to go a long way in his promising career.
Furthermore, there are a lot of similarities between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal as the youngster also refuses to throw down the towel on the court like his idol. Moreover, Alcaraz recently won Barcelona Open and entered the ATP top 10 rankings for the first time in his career, just like Rafael Nadal. In fact, Alcaraz won Barcelona Open and achieved the top 10 rank on the same date as his campatriot had done 17 years ago.
Alcaraz recently became the youngest to win Miami Open and became the third youngest to win ATP 1000 Masters title after Rafael Nadal and Michael Chang.
Corretja reckons it is pivotal for Carlos Alcaraz to keep on his own way.
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.”
It is well known that Nadal is one of the greats of the game and Alcaraz still has a long way to go in his career to get compared with the veteran. Corretja is optimistic that the youngster will soon become the World No.1 player in the game.
“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.”
Alcaraz and Nadal will be seen in action in the upcoming Mutua Madrid Open.