Stefanos Tsitsipas believes Carlos Alcaraz can be ‘next Rafael Nadal’ and sees ‘a lot of similarities’

Stefanos Tsitsipas believes that Carlos Alcaraz could be the next Rafael Nadal of tennis.

Alcaraz has stormed to the top of the game over the last 18 months, winning his first Grand Slam at the age of 19, just as Nadal did, and becoming the youngest-ever men’s world No. 1.

Alcaraz will lead the field at this week’s Barcelona Open with Nadal absent as he continues to recover from injury.

Talking about Nadal, world No. 5 Tsitsipas said: “He definitely offers a lot to our sport. And when he’s around, you can feel his presence and his energy and how hard he works for every point. And his spirit, the spirit that he puts out on the court is an example.’

“’We have someone that looks a little bit like him, which is Carlos Alcaraz, in terms of how he gets to every ball on the court and how he covers pretty much half of the planet when he plays.

“So they have a lot of similarities, and I think he [Alcaraz] could be the next Rafael Nadal of our tennis.”

Tsitsipas was beaten in the quarter-finals of last year’s Barcelona Open by Alcaraz.

He has also lost both other career meetings against the 19-year-old, who is the defending champion in Barcelona.

“He’s someone that deserves the win, he’s someone that has fallen under the radar for what he can do.

“He has big weapons as a player and I’ve made a mistake in the past and I said silly things after a loss that I had recently against him, my mind was completely in another planet. I definitely believe he is a very strong opponent and he can play against anyone.

“And the good thing with Rublev is he can play on all surfaces, he is strong everywhere. That is good to see because he keeps getting better and keeps pushing us to get better too.”

Tsitsipas, who has twice lost in the Barcelona Open final to Nadal, made the Australian Open final earlier this year but his form has dipped over the last few months as he has battled a shoulder injury.

He said after Monte Carlo that he feels his success on clay has made him a target for opponents.

“There are players out there that will play their best to beat me. They know how well I can play on clay and they are really hungry, and I feel like maybe sometimes they have nothing to lose so they really leave it out there,” he said.

“I don’t know if that’s the expression, but they play out of their skin to give the best chance to themselves out there.”

Tsitsipas plays his opening match in Barcelona on Wednesday, April 19.

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