The debate continues to roar on as to the comparisons between Carlos Alcaraz at this point in his career and Rafael Nadal with the ongoing narrative always there between the two Spanish stars.
None more so than ahead of the French Open with some predicting as usual a Nadal title despite injury concerns, while in many cases, Alcaraz is top favourite with his decision to skip Rome seen by many as a potential masterstroke.
Mats Wilander as usual has assessed the French Open for Eurosport and also the comparisons between the two and believes barring Roger Federer, Alcaraz has the edge in terms of how he plays at this point in his career.
"I think Alcaraz has more variety," Wilander said to Eurosport on the Nadal comparisons.
"I think that's what we are all a little bit surprised over, that he's able to play with a lot of variety, and of course, the variety for him is power, and then also finesse, drop shots.
"I mean, I don't really see him playing with the different spins on the backhand yet. Getting slices and hitting long and hitting flat.
"I don't think he's there yet, but in terms of the drop shots and the power, I think he probably knows more than Rafa knew at 19.
"I can understand Rafa more because he said 'this is how I play, and I'm going to find the best way to play the way I want to play, and I'm going to find the best way to play my opponent', whereas Alcaraz says a little bit more, 'okay, this is what I kind of need to do, the guy is far behind [the baseline], I'm going to hit some drop shots'.
"If you are too close to the baseline, then Carlos is going to play with power, and a little bit of height and push the guy back.
"So I think that Carlos is willing to do a few more things, but I'm not saying that that's better. Sometimes the simplest players, when they're young, are the ones that are the best because they don't have that many options, or they don't want to use that many options.
"I think Carlos is using a few more shots at a very young age than maybe Rafa was using and that no one else was using.
"Of course, Federer is a different animal, so it's very impressive that he's able to play with the variety that he plays with in terms of drop shots and power."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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