Rafael Nadal has backed ‘amazing’ Carlos Alcaraz to enjoy ‘one of the best tennis careers of all time’.
Alcaraz, 21, has developed into one of the best players in the world over the past two years, winning four Grand Slams – including back-to-back Wimbledon titles.
The Spaniard only needs the Australian Open to complete a career slam, having reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne for the last two years.
Alcaraz has naturally been compared to his compatriot Nadal, who won an incredible 22 major trophies before retiring last year.
Asked about the pressure of being compared to one of the game’s all-time greats, Nadal told CNN: ‘It’s normal.
‘All of us received the pressure from the media and from the hope that people have about you, but I think at the end, we are humans and we know how to handle that.
‘I don’t think for Carlos it’s a big deal holding that pressure. He’s a great player and has a great family behind him.
‘I think he’s doing great and he’s having an amazing career and he’s going to win much more if he stays out of injury – that’s the most important thing.
‘I wish and I really believe that he’s going to have one of the best careers of all time.’
Only one man in history – Novak Djokovic – lifted more Grand Slam singles titles than Nadal. Roger Federer finished with 20, two behind Nadal and four behind Djokovic.
Nadal believes his rivalry with Federer and Djokovic helped him maintain his high standards and says Alcaraz could find similar with Jannik Sinner.
Sinner is currently ranked number one in the world and has won three Grand Slam titles, though he is yet to reach the final of Wimbledon or the French Open.
Asked if the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry could match that of ‘The Big Three’, Nadal added: ‘It’s already there.
‘Last year… two Grand Slams each. If they can bring their rivalry to the next level in terms of fighting for the most important titles for a long period of time that will be great news for tennis.
‘It’s going to be another interesting rivalry between two great players and that’s going to be great for our sport. We don’t need to put this pressure on about thinking that they have to follow our numbers or not.
‘Let them play and then at the end of their careers we’re going to see where they are.’
Nadal owns multiple tennis academies around the world and is a minority shareholder of La Liga club Mallorca.
Since retiring, Nadal has seen his former foe Andy Murray go into coaching – but the 38-year-old does not expect to go down the same path.
‘In this life you can never say never,’ the ‘King of Clay’ said. ‘It’s difficult to imagine myself now doing this kind of thing.
‘It’s not my moment, at all. I am in a different moment of my life and I don’t see myself traveling now with a player, spending more time outside of home in this moment of my life.
‘But, of course, always open to talk with players if they have any doubt. I’m happy to help.’
Roland Garros will host the next tennis major of the year as Alcaraz bids to defend his French Open title.
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