"I don’t want to be next Rafa, I just want to be Carlos Alcaraz"
ATP
Although Carlos Alcaraz likely likes being compared to the greatest tennis players of all time, he insists that he doesn't want to be "the next someone." He wants to create his own path.
Alcaraz stunned the tennis world in 2022. Not once, not twice, but almost every week he competed. He won the Miami Open, he won the Madrid Open, and he also won his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open.
Thanks to that win, he also became the ATP World No. 1 player. In fact, the youngest men's World No. 1 ever. Since the young Spaniard broke through as a promising talent, he has always been compared to the greatest tennis players of all time.
Most often, the 19-year-old has been compared to his compatriot Rafael Nadal, mostly because of their shared nationality. However, in a recent interview with CGTN, the reigning US Open champion insisted that he doesn't want to be "next Rafa."
"I don’t want to be the next Rafa. I just want to be Carlos Alcaraz. I want to make history and make my own path to be remembered as Carlos Alcaraz."
Although he might look like a complete player to some, Alcaraz knows that there's still a very long path ahead of him. He already has his maiden Grand Slam title, but that's not where the journey ends for him. At least, that's what he will hope for.
Alcaraz insisted that he must continue improving. He is now the highest-ranked player on the ATP Tour, and his goal is to stay atop of the rankings for many weeks to come.
"I still have a lot of things to improve. I am still really young, I’m 19 years old. Of course, my time is here. (I’m) number one in the world. My time has come so fast and now it’s time to stay there (No.1) for as many weeks (as possible) and try to be better."
