Alcaraz vs Nadal: comparison of the two greats of Spanish tennis

Alcaraz and Nadal in the match they played at the Mutua Madrid Open 2022. EUROPA PRESS Comparisons are inevitable. In this case, luckily. Rafael Nadal is an unrepeatable athlete, but Carlos Alcaraz’s progress, with his triumph at the US Open, makes one wonder how far he can go. The Murcian has beaten the Majorcan in precociousness to reach number one in the world. But there are more interesting points to put on the scale to get an idea of ​​how you can compare to the two Spanish tennis players. World number one Alcaraz has reached world number one this September 12, 2022, at the age of 19 years and four months. Nadal did it for the first time on August 18, 2008, at the age of 22 years and two months. The Majorcan champion arrived later, but has 209 weeks in that position on his resume. In the case of Nadal, we must also take into account that he snatched the first place in the ATP from a Roger Federer at the height of his career. At the moment, however, the player who has held number one for the longest time, Novak Djokovic, is in the last phase of his career and has not been able to compete in several tournaments (including this last one in New York) due to not being vaccinated. against covid19. The first Grand SlamAlcaraz won his first major tournament on September 11, 2022, at the age of 19 years and four monthsNadal debuted with his first grand slam at Roland Garros in May 2005, he was 18 years and 11 months old.Styles Different The way the two champions win is also different. Nadal has stood out as a player with great mental strength and defensive tennis. Alcaraz, on the other hand, is a dominant player on the court, with a very wide range of winners both at the back of the court and at the net. On the other hand, that implies that he takes more risks and therefore also makes more mistakes. In addition, Alcaraz has ahead of him to stand the test of time. Nadal has evolved his tennis to remain a winner during a great career and has retained, despite his ailments, the physical capacity necessary to win important matches. Another important difference is that Alcaraz has to handle pressure that the Balearic tennis player did not have: expectations that he will become the new Nadal. At the moment he has shown maturity and mastery when it comes to managing it.