'Roger Federer and Djokovic like to be aggressive and...', says former No. 1

Rafael Nadal was arguably the most successful teenager in tennis history. The Spanish phenomenon won his first match at ATP level at the age of 16 and three years later he was already the Roland Garros champion. Comparisons with other young talents have been inevitable in recent years. For some time now there has been a lot of talk about Carlos Alcaraz, a great promise of Iberian tennis and nicknamed by many as 'Baby Nadal'. It will not be easy for Spain to manage the legacy of the 19-time Grand Slam champion, who this year could equal Roger Federer's all-time record in the event of a triumph at Roland Garros. The former World number 1 has in fact decided not to fly to New York for the US Open, a choice that was in the air since the resumption of training.

Ferrero on Carlos Alcaraz

"I haven’t talked a lot with Rafael Nadal, but he’s my idol because of his character, attitude and the passion he has for tennis," Carlos Alcaraz said. The young Spaniard is coached by another compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero. "If I have to say someone that I can compare him to, it’s the game of Novak Djokovic or maybe Roger Federer. They like to be aggressive from the baseline and they can go to the net to finish the point" - the former World number 1 explained. "Of course, the comparison is going to be there because for people here in Spain, it’s been a long time that we haven’t had anyone at the age of 16 or 17 [playing] this kind of level. But the team that is around him, we have to try to [keep a circle] around him to help him try to put this pressure away, to make him calm, to keep things normal, so he can go his own way," Ferrero added. "Usually he hears people who say he is going to be the next Rafael Nadal... of course, it’s going to be difficult for him to [keep things] normal and stay calm and not tell me, ‘Why are they saying this to me?’ But he’s a little bit used to it, because most of the people here in Spain, they come to him many times and tell him he’s going to be the next Rafa Nadal. Finally, I think he’s used to it and he put it away and he goes his own way to always work very hard and to try to make his own career. In his performance on the court, he has very fast hands. He plays from the backhand and the forehand very strong all the time. He’s very quickly going with the ball on the court, and that’s why he can play at a very high rhythm against these guys" - he concluded.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/31pviGi