Rafael Nadal dish out brutal” Carlos Alcaraz warning to ATP competition” After hitting out to all rivals with delicate words….
The best prediction regarding Carlos Alcaraz has come from Rafael Nadal, who says the 21-year-old Spaniard will go down as “one of the best” because he “does not see many players that can stop” him from dominating in the future. Alcaraz turned 21 in May. He has already won four Grand Slams, and most people anticipate that he will win at least ten Slam titles.
After becoming a Grand Slam champion at the age of 19 at the 2021 US Open, Alcaraz lifted his second Slam title at last year’s Wimbledon but then hit a slump and didn’t win any titles until the Indian Wells Masters in March. Since ending his title drought, Alcaraz has returned to his old self and he is now coming off back-to-back Slam titles won at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Talks about the 21-year-old possibly finishing among the greatest of all time have returned since he defeated record 24-time Slam champion Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-2 7-6 (4) in the Wimbledon final on Sunday. This is the 21-year-old’s most impressive Slam final victory.
According to Punto de Break, Rafael Nadal stated, “My feeling is that we are talking about a player who is going to be among the best in history. 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.”
Nadal: I don’t see many players who can stop Alcaraz…
Alcaraz and 22-year-old Jannik Sinner have been the most successful players since the 2024 season began, and they are currently considered to be the two best players in the men’s game. Even Djokovic acknowledged after the Wimbledon final that he was not performing at the same level as Alcaraz and Sinner and that he needed to improve if he wanted to have a chance of defeating them in the major events.
When it comes to the future of men’s tennis, 38-year-old Rafael Nadal says he believes Alcaraz will be around for a long time and that he believes his biggest opponent will likely be Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Other than Kohlschreiber, though, the 22-time Grand Slam champion doesn’t think there are many players on the current scene who could pose a serious threat to Alcaraz.
“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 Tour and the best thing about him today is that in every tournament he plays, no matter what surface, he is going to be the favorite. No player was the favorite 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 said.
Nadal on his Bastad return
This week, Nadal is playing in Bastad for the first time in 19 years. When now the 38-year-old Spaniard was just starting his career, he made three consecutive Bastad appearances between 2003 and 2005 – he made back-to-back quarterfinals before winning the title in 2005.
And nearly two decades later, Nadal decided to return to Bastad and use it as a preparation for the Paris Olympics, which are starting on July 26th. At the Swedish ATP 250 tournament, Nadal is playing in singles and also in doubles with Casper Ruud.
“When you’re 19, 18 or 17, when I first came here, I remember coming to play with friends, with Juan Monaco, Carlos Moya, Zabaleta, playing PlayStation, going to dinner and partying a bit afterwards. Different things. When you’re 38, life changes a bit and you pay more attention to how nice the place is. I had even forgotten how nice the place is. When you’re a bit older, you’re more interested in things. You’re more interested in going out a bit, walking around the area by the sea, getting to know the town a bit more. The last time I was here I was only 19, so it’s a different world,” Nadal recalled.
