Carlos Alcaraz: I don't want to compare myself to Rafa Nadal because....

The 17 year old Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz says he does not want to be compared to his legendary countryman Rafael Nadal and would like to chart his own path on the tennis circuit.

Alcaraz has been making tennis fans sit up and take notice of his game in recent months but comparisons to Nadal, who is also his idol, have been common, given his precocious talent at a young age and the fact that he is also from Spain.

Carlos Alcaraz says he does not want to compare himself to Rafael Nadal

In an interview to the Spanish website AS, Alcaraz says, "I don't want to compare myself to Rafa (Nadal), because to begin with he is my idol and it is almost impossible or very difficult to get to where he has reached. You have to put aside the comparisons and each one should follow his own way. They (people and the media) ask me a lot of questions about expectations and I answer, but in the end I am with my circle, with my team, with clear goals and knowing what I have to do and the path I have to follow. We all have it clear. I go little by little without ever looking much ahead."

The 17 year old says he is excited to start competing on the Challenger circuit when the circuit resumes and his eventual goal is to become World No. 1. "My big dream is to be number one in the world. I would love to win all the Grand Slams, but last year I started on grass, at Wimbledon, and it was amazing. I would love to win there ... apart from Roland Garros"

Alcaraz has been working with another former World No. 1 from Spain, Juan Carlos Ferrero at the Equelite Academy and says the former Spanish champion has been helping him a lot on his game and mentality. "Juan Carlos places great emphasis on the subject of attitude. It is very important, it is almost everything. Those who know how to manage their emotions have a lot of advantage."

Currently ranked No. 318 in the world, Carlos Alcaraz made his ATP main draw debut earlier this year at the 2020 Rio Open, where he beat fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos Viñolas, who is ranked No. 41 in the world, in a third set tie-breaker in three hours and 36 minutes.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2PEcsWp