"Stay away from that" - Corretja to Alcaraz on Nadal comparisons

Alex Corretja has warned against making comparisons between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal after the 18-year-old’s victory at the Barcelona Open.

Alcaraz moved up to ninth in the ATP rankings with a 6-3 6-2 win over Pablo Carreno to become the youngest man to break into the top ten since Nadal. Speaking to Eurosport, Corretja said:

"We all know that the comparison between Nadal and Alcaraz will exist. I think the most important thing for Carlos is just to stay away from that. He just needs to keep on his own way. It is normal to compare situations and rankings and results because if you become top ten in the same day, after winning the same tournament, being Spanish, it's a big coincidence."

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He continued:

“It's like the Karma of life, and something big is going to happen. I'm sure that he will overcome our careers (Spanish Tennis legends), the ones that are not Rafa's. Rafa is another step, it's another dimension, it's something different. So, we leave that apart for the moment. But I'm 100% sure that he will become number one in the world, that he will win a slam and destroy all our records.”

Corretja also noted that he things Alcaraz is one of the players that could win the French Open. He named Nadal, Djokovic, Tsitsipas, Rublev and Alcaraz and potential winners.