Australian Open: ‘We are changing the king’ – Rafael Nadal passing the baton to Carlos Alcaraz, says Alex Corretja

Rafael Nadal has made his long-awaited return from injury, but the progression of compatriot Carlos Alcaraz to the very elite of the game means Spanish tennis is “changing the King”, believes former world No. 2 Alex Corretja.

The Australian Open remains an outlier on Alcaraz’s record, with the 20-year-old yet to progress past the third round, whereas he has made at least the semi-finals at all three of the game’s other Slams.

“If you see the results, he’s been winning matches like all the legends do, [Novak] Djokovic, Nadal, [Roger] Federer,” Corretja, appearing on Eurosport’s The Cube, said of Alcaraz.

“So, the comparisons are understandable. Here in Spain, we had Rafa, so expectations were very high and now we have ‘Carlitos’, so it is like we are changing the king.

“Yes, we still have Rafa to come back, but we are so blessed to have Carlitos as he brings so emotion into the game, he always smiles.

“And he feels like a new generation, new generation because they want everything for now, everything has to be faster and that’s how Carlitos plays, so I would say it is all adjusted to the modern era.”

Mats Wilander, alongside Corretja, wondered aloud whether facing Alcaraz is quite the daunting, “uphill” prospect it is facing Nadal, given the younger Spaniard’s more “fun” approach to the sport.

“There is something to what you say,” Corretja responded.

“In my era when you play [Pete] Sampras or [Boris] Becker or [Andre] Agassi for you Mats, it felt a little bit like a curse, you had so much respect, you had been watching them on TV.

“[With Alcaraz] it feels more like a friend, more like a practice match and you think ok, let’s play, you don’t have the fear.

“But at the same time he is showing he doesn’t care about the same issues we used to care [about], he is more chilled in a way and it is nice to see that they are having fun.

“I don’t know how they do it as we more suffered than having fun, they are just playing tennis, they don’t care about results or history or the things the older guys used to worry [about]. So I think it is quite nice to see that; you don’t want to see the guys struggling on the court or seeming anxious.”

Alcaraz has perhaps not been on absolute top form so far in Melbourne, but Corretja thinks there could be a plan afoot to peak later in the event.

“He needed to play the tough first set against Gasquet, I don’t think he was flat, I think he was uncomfortable on court against Sonego,” Corretja said.

“He needed to play rallies, needed to lose a set, maybe drop a break and then you feel much better.

“Then you will crescendo, you will go up and Carlitos, that’s what he needed. He didn’t play any tournaments before the Australian Open.”