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Tsitsipas Calls Alcaraz Next Nadal

Rafael Nadal (R) and Carlos Alcaraz (L) pose ahead of the Mutua Madrid Open match in Madrid, Spain, 05 May 2021. EPA-EFE/CHEMA MOYA

Stefanos Tsitsipas has seen the future of tennis.

And he looks a little like a champion with a glorious past.

Two-time Monte-Carlo champion Tsitsipas says Carlos Alcaraz’s brilliant shotmaking, blinding court coverage and burning competitive desire means he “could be the next Rafael Nadal of our tennis.” 

Meeting the media in Barcelona, Tsitsipas said while Nadal is absent, Alcaraz brings the same powerful presence to court as his tennis hero. 

“He definitely offers a lot to our sport. And when he’s around, you can feel his presence and his energy and how hard he works for every point,” Tsitsipas said of Nadal. “And his spirit, the spirit that he puts out on the court is an example.

“We have someone that looks a little bit like him, which is Carlos Alcaraz, in terms of how he gets to every ball on the court and how he covers pretty much half of the planet when he plays. “So they have a lot of similarities, and I think he [Alcaraz] could be the next Rafael Nadal of our tennis.”