When 13-year-old Carlos Alcaraz said he wants to be like 'idol' Rafael Nadal
Spanish teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz created history on Sunday by becoming the youngest champion at the Mutua Madrid Open.
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Just 12 months ago, Spanish teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz was ranked at No. 120 and was another name in the Madrid Open draw when he made his debut. Today, at 19, the youngster is being pegged as the next Rafael Nadal as he climbed to a career-high World No. 6 following his historic win at the Mutua Madrid Open on Sunday.
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Several comparisons have been drawn between the two Spanish stars over the last few months, and Alcaraz has made no secret of the fact that the 21-time Grand Slam champion is his idol. While the teenager has opted out of the Italian Open to gear up for the big-ticket Grand Slam at Roland Garros, an old video of him expressing his wish to be like Nadal has gone viral.
Image Credit: Carlos Alcaraz Instagram
In 2016, a 13-year-old Alcaraz duelled it out in the U-14 stage of the Rafa Nadal Tour for junior players in Spain and the youngster went on record to say he wanted to follow the Mallorcan's footsteps, including wanting to break into the Top-10, a feat he achieved when he clinched the Barcelona Open 2022 crown.
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"I want to be in the top-10, but you need to work for it. My idol's Rafa. I want to be like [Rafael Nadal] because he practices very hard and gives his all in matches and I want to be like him," a young Alcaraz said.
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Earlier this week, Alcaraz became the youngest champion at the Caja Magica after dispatching World No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-1 to capture his second ATP Masters 1000 title of the season.
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The Spaniard, who defeated his childhood hero Nadal and World No.1 Novak Djokovic, en route to the grand finale, overpowered the German within 61 minutes to bag a tour-leading fourth title of the year.
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Alcaraz is also being pegged as a firm favourite for this month's French Open, an admission made by Djokovic himself. "The way he was dealing with the pressure. I mean, in our match a few days ago, how calm he was all the way... was impressive. He deserved to win the trophy. (At) Roland Garros, he's definitely one of the main favourites, no doubt, even though he has never reached the second week of a Grand Slam. With everything recently that he has achieved, he deserves to be one of the favourites," the French Open defending champion added.
