Rafael Nadal has insisted that Carlos Alcaraz will go down as “one of the best in history” after defeating Novak Djokovic two years in a row in the Wimbledon final.
Nadal, Spain’s most successful tennis player of all time, could be forgiven for looking over his shoulder at the prospect of 21-year-old Alcaraz already moving to four Grand Slam titles. But instead, he has been full of praise for his Paris Olympics doubles partner.
Nadal believes that Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will be “above the rest” as the new generation of tennis begin to take over, with the duo sharing the first three Majors of 2024. The Spanish icon has lavished praise on his compatriot and predicts more “amazing things” to come.
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My impression is that we are talking about a player who is going to be one of the best in history,” Nadal said in his press conference at Bastad. “That is my feeling. He is a player with enormous potential. Life can change quickly, that is the truth. You never know what can happen in the future, but today, if we have to predict what will happen in his career, we predict amazing things.
His level of tennis is very high. If he can stay away from injuries, of course Sinner will be there, but today I see him with Sinner above the rest without a doubt. I don’t see many players who can stop him on the circuit and the best thing about him today is that in every tournament he plays, no matter what surface, he is going to be the favourite.
No player was the favourite before every tournament and today I feel that he has that aura, that feeling. That is a great advantage because I think he feels that if he plays at his level it is difficult for anyone to beat him.”
Nadal will be hoping that Alcaraz can help extend his own legacy this summer, as they play in the men’s doubles Olympic event together for Spain, with the competition starting on July 27.
The 38-year-old is aiming for his third Olympics gold, taking the singles crown in Beijing 2008 and doubles with Marc Lopez at Rio 2016. With 26 Grand Slam titles together, Nadal and Alcaraz are the team to beat on the French clay.
Nadal skipped Wimbledon and the grass season to prepare for the Olympics, not wishing to transition away from clay courts after the French Open and before attention turns to the Games in France’s capital.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, followed up his French Open victory by winning at SW19 a few weeks later with a statement defence of his title against Djokovic.
