Alcaraz thinks he could put a dent in Nadal's Roland Garros dominance: "But Rafa has a thousand lives there"

Carlos Alcaraz believes himself capable of beating Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros should they meet but he understands that it will be incredibly difficult.

Alcaraz faced Nadal on clay before and actually beat him last year in Madrid. It was an event where the Spaniard defeated Nadal and Djokovic back-to-back en route to the final where he beat Zverev to lift the trophy. They haven't played on clay since then but they might in Paris with the younger Spanish player fully confident in his ability to defeat Nadal:

"I have always said that I like to play against the best and Nadal is one of the best in history, there is no doubt about that. His tournament is Roland-Garros, he has the most titles, but this is the most symbolic for him. I would love to play him at Roland-Garros, measure myself against him and see what happens. I think I could beat him, but Rafa has a thousand lives there."

Hailing from Spain, Alcaraz has a very good idea about Nadal and his career. He was able to watch it unfold from a very young age and he's taken some inspiration from it:

"I am inspired by the courage and the winning gene that he [Nadal] has inside himself. Especially that rage that he has on the court of wanting to win and doing everything possible to win. To never quit, to never give up and go for everything."

He expanded on Nadal:

"For me, mentally he is an example and he is also in other areas. No matter how many problems come up, he always provides solutions and never makes excuses. He has experienced many games in which he has been dead and he has known how to turn it around. And that is not easy at all, staying mentally strong to find solutions. It is something that I would like to take from Rafa, the ability that he has to adapt to any situation."