Carlos Alcaraz 'A Thousand Miles Away' From Being As Mentally Strong As Rafael Nadal
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No one can doubt Carlos Alcaraz's incredible talent. However, a former player brutally told the 21-year-old that his mentality is nowhere near Rafael Nadal's.
Alcaraz is a natural entertainer and probably the most watchable player on the ATP Tour. He combines unique athleticism with incredible power and a willingness to use touch with drop shots and volleys.
The Spaniard's achievements at such a young age are superb. Alcaraz wanted to add a fifth Grand Slam at the 2025 Australian Open but lost to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
However, even great players like Alcaraz have areas where they can improve. The two-time Wimbledon winner sometimes loses focus and makes matchups more challenging than they should be.
In the loss to Djokovic at the Australian Open, Alcaraz became distracted by the Serbian's physical issues instead of being ruthless and putting him to the sword after winning the first set. That gave Djokovic a way back into the match when he began to feel and move better.
Former Davis Cup champion Paolo Bertolucci told Sky Sports Italia that Alcaraz's mental strength is nowhere near that of his idol and compatriot Rafael Nadal and that he should have defeated Djokovic in Melbourne.
"Alcaraz is sleeveless like Nadal, he plays differently, but he is a thousand miles away from Rafa in his head. He should have gone 2-1 in the match with Nole and probably would have brought the match home."
Adriano Panatta also had some honest words for Alcaraz when speaking to Sky Sports Italia. The 1976 French Open champion told him that he must be at a level where he does not lose to Djokovic in a best-of-five-sets encounter.
"Mentally he [Djokovic] crushes anyone, the other one took the bait with all his boots. Novak is a great champion, phenomenal, nice or unpleasant, it’s subjective."
"But even a set tied, with Djokovic, he can no longer lose. He can no longer afford to lose against Novak. He was defeated in Paris two out of three but it was something special, a final on clay at the Olympics. Three out of five, Alcaraz must be at a level that he should no longer be beaten by Nole."
It is fair to say that Alcaraz has not reached Nadal's mentality yet, but he is stronger in that aspect than many give him credit for. The former world No. 1 won three consecutive five-set matches during his 2022 US Open title run.
Achieving that would have been impossible without a combination of mental and physical strength. Alcaraz also won both Grand Slam finals he contested that went to a fifth set at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships and the 2024 French Open.
In contrast to Panatta and Bertolucci's stinging words, Naomi Osaka's coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said Jannik Sinner should not be considered better than Alcaraz, especially since the 21-year-old has won four Grand Slams compared to Sinner's three.
Alcaraz would have become the youngest player to win the Career Grand Slam had he secured the Australian Open title. However, the fan favorite will still be the youngest to achieve it if he lifts the 2026 Australian Open trophy.
