Exclusive - Rafael Nadal says Carlos Alcaraz 'has every single thing to become a huge star' in tennis
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ByEurosport
Updated 02/05/2022 at 06:23 GMT
Rafael Nadal has heaped praise on his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. The 2022 Australian Open champion believes Alcaraz will become a "huge star" in men's tennis and will be considered "a big candidate" to become the number one player in the world in the future. Nadal tells Eurosport about his recovery from a broken rib and says he has his sights set on the French Open later this month.
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Rafael Nadal says Carlos Alcaraz has all the attributes to become a "huge star" in men's tennis.
Alcaraz, 18, has already won four titles in his career including a maiden Masters crown at the Miami Open in April.
The Spaniard has already climbed up to No. 9 in the world rankings and is widely tipped to become a serial Grand Slam winner. Nadal believes Alcaraz has what it takes to get to the very top of the men's game.
"As everybody knows it's amazing," Nadal exclusively told Eurosport.
"He's a big candidate to win a lot of Grand Slams and become the number one player in the world.
"What he is doing is fantastic so well done for him and I wish him all the very best. He is doing a lot of things similar to me.
"He is young, he has the passion and the energy. He has every single thing to become a huge star.
"I'm like a Spanish spectator, personally I'm happy to have someone like him to stay on the tour for a long time and achieve a lot of things."
The 21-time Grand Slam champion has recovered from a rib injury in time for the Madrid Open this week.
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He says he is in good physical condition for the Masters 1000 tournament he has won five times, but admits he ultimately has his sights set on winning a record-extending 14th Grand Slam title at the French Open, which begins on May 22.
"I'm feeling good in terms of the hip," he said.
"That's recovered so now is the time to try to recover the tennis and physical performance. That takes some time so I am here to try to be better and better every day.
"Unfortunately, I never take these kind of events like preparation for anything else because I really thought that every event in this part of the season is so special.
"It's part of the history of our sport, but this year I need to accept that this year is a bit different in terms of the situation.
"I have been out for more than a month and a half. The amount of practices I've had are just a few, and in this case, I need to be humble enough and accept that it's a process that I need to go through.
"Of course, the big goal now is to try and be ready for the French Open in three weeks."
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World No.1 Novak Djokovic and Alcaraz are also part of a heavyweight men's draw for the Madrid Open with the final on May 8.
Alcaraz says he has to take every match at the tournament seriously if he wishes to win it for the first time in his career.
"It's amazing, playing here in Spain is always special," he said.
"To be able to play matches here in front of a home crowd, being one of the favourites to get a title is pretty amazing. I'm focused on the first round first.
"Nadal is always going for it. In the first round you can lose. You have to respect the players that are playing these tournaments, and of course, try to give your best in the first rounds."
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