Rafael Nadal calls for a third force to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
NewsTuesday, 02 December 2025 at 21:00
Rafael Nadal wants to see someone rise through the ranks to
challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner—the two most dominating forces in men’s
tennis at present.
Alcaraz and Sinner have split the last eight Grand Slams
between them. They are the World No. 1 and 2, with the Spaniard holding the top
spot.
Only 550 points separate the two in the ATP singles rankings,
however, third-best Alexander Zverev (5,160) has less than half as many points as
Sinner (11,500) on the list.
Nadal, who retired from professional tennis in November 2024 at the age of 38,
has been keeping up with Alcaraz and Sinner’s rise and hopes for a third guy to
break the duopoly of the young phenoms.
"I watch some tennis matches. I think Sinner and Alcaraz need someone to push them... [Joao] Fonseca? I think he's still young and not in a position to think about that. They need someone to push them a bit because they've set themselves apart from everyone else and in any form they can beat anyone, until they come up against that other player."
"Those of us watching from the outside have the feeling that even if they play badly, they're going to keep winning and reaching all the finals."- Rafael Nadal tells El Larguera
The Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry is beginning to resemble Nadal’s
competition with Roger Federer. The rise of a third guy could mirror Novak
Djokovic’s arrival on the big stages in the early 2010s, when he began
snatching prestigious titles from the Spaniard and Swiss.
Rafael Nadal warns injuries can hamper Carlos Alcaraz’s chances of breaking records
Further, Rafael Nadal touched upon the possibility of Carlos
Alcaraz breaking his Grand Slam record of 22 titles.
He believes Alcaraz, having won six Majors at the age of 22 already,
is capable of picking up many more. But he warned the fellow Spaniard should
stay fit to remain confident in his body and movement.
"Spectacular, how are we going to see it? I don't tend to have high expectations, I've always seen him as very good, with the potential to make history in our sport. 22 Grand Slams? Why not?"
"Six is already a lot and he has a spectacular trajectory. The most important thing is that he doesn't get injured. If you don't have injuries, I think you also don't lose confidence in your body and that keeps you improving."- Rafael Nadal
With six already in the bag, Alcaraz has already matched the
likes of Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg. He’s only one behind John McEnroe and
two behind Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors.
Novak Djokovic is in pole position with 24 Grand Slam
trophies under his belt. He is followed by Nadal, Roger Federer (20) and Pete
Sampras (14).
Read also
Popular News
Just In
Loading