Rafael Nadal has praised his younger compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, stating that he has the potential to win "a lot of Grand Slams" and become World No. 1.
Alcaraz has been in incredible form this season, winning titles in Rio, Miami (a maiden Masters 1000), and most recently in Barcelona this past month. That productive spell of excellent results culminated in a Top 10 breakthrough for the first time.
The young Spaniard will turn 19 in a few days and is competing at the Madrid Open on home soil, where five-time former champion Nadal is also in the mix.
It's not always that the 21-time Grand Slam champion spares words to elevate hype around a teenager, but he recognizes the talent Alcaraz possesses and the maturity he's shown to make outlandish statements.
Alcaraz broke into the Top 10 exactly 20 years after Nadal did it, and that has given him a lot of self-belief as he works his way towards being world number one.
His coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, was also number one, and he knows what it takes to get him there. Speaking on Eurosport, Nadal made such bold claims about Alcaraz's future in the sport.
"As everybody knows it’s amazing. He’s a big candidate to win a lot of Grand Slams and become the number one player in the world. What he is doing is fantastic so well done for him and I wish him all the very best. He is doing a lot of things similar to me. He is young, he has the passion and the energy. He has every single thing to become a huge star."
Furthermore, Nadal admitted that he's like a "Spanish spectator" who is excited to have such a young and rapidly improving player in Spanish tennis.
"I’m like a Spanish spectator, personally I’m happy to have someone like him to stay on the tour for a long time and achieve a lot of things."
Alcaraz kicks off his Madrid campaign today with an early evening match against Nikoloz Basilashvili.
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