Carlos Alcaraz isn’t playing in this week’s Italian Open after deciding to take a break but he remains a key talking point among many at this year’s tournament.
At the age of 19 the Spaniard has already achieved a series of impressive milestones which has elevated him to a ranking high of sixth in the world this week. He has won 28 out of 31 matches played on the Tour this season, becoming the youngest player to win an ATP 500 title, as well as the Miami Open and Madrid Open. Alcaraz is also the first player this year to have won four ATP titles.
The rising star is being compared to his idol Rafael Nadal and looks to be following in his footsteps. According to the ATP, he reached 50 Tour wins after playing just 70 matches. Something which was never achieved by any member of the Big Three. Last week Alcaraz became the first player to have beaten both Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the same tournament on clay, as well as the youngest to ever do so.
“Everybody knows the amount of confidence he has right now, the level that he can reach. I’m happy because we have an amazing player in our country for a lot of years to come,” Nadal told reporters in Rome on Monday.
Stefanos Tsitsipas knows all too well how difficult it is to play the Spaniard after losing to him in all three of their previous meetings. After suffering a five set loss to Alcaraz in the third round of last year’s US Open, the Greek was also defeated in Barcelona and Miami this year by the youngster.
There is an age difference of more than four years between the two players but Tsitsipas says he is inspired by the swift development of his younger rival. Going as far as saying that he ‘wants to be like him.’ An interesting statement from a player who has won eight Tour titles, including the 2019 ATP Finals.
“His tennis is very impressive. I think he puts a lot of energy into every single shot. He is quick. He has a good reaction time. He reads the game well. He inspires me a lot. I really want to be like him. I look up to him,” Tsitsipas said during his press conference.
“I know he’s at a young, early stage of his career. I can see him becoming big in a very short time. I’d really like to get to the level he is right now. I think he’s one of the best players in the world, to be honest. He has proved it with consistent results, thriving in the biggest tournaments. There is nothing you can take away from that.”
Veteran player Stan Wawrinka has seen many players come and go during his career. The three-time Grand Slam winner describes Alcaraz’s ability to cope with the pressure as ‘amazing.’ The injury-hit Swiss star spoke about the world No.6 following his 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, win over Reilly Opelka in what is his first Tour victory in 15 months.
“Carlos (has been) playing so well from the beginning of the year, it’s been really impressive the way he’s playing, the way he’s handling the pressure, the way he’s winning and beating the top player. That’s something amazing. I enjoyed watching him play and win,” said Wawrinka.
“He shows again and again that he can play against the top players. He beat Rafa, he beat Novak, he beat Zverev, he beat Tsitsipas. He beat all those players by just playing the game and being better than them.”
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Alcaraz who is predicted to win multiple major titles by some pundits. Although similar has been said by others in the past and they haven’t been able to live up to expectations for a variety of reasons.
However, there is something about Alcaraz that makes him stand out and his rivals wary of the potential threat.
“With him in most of the draws, the lineup is getting even tougher. I will for sure have to work harder to get the results that I ever wanted,” Tsitsipas concludes.