The coach of Carlos Alcaraz says ‘it is not good’ to compare Carlos Alcaraz to Rafael Nadal due the implications it could have on the youngster.
Juan Carlos Ferrero, who won the 2003 French Open, saying doing such a thing places unnecessary pressure on the Next Gen star who turned 18 on Wednesday. Alcaraz is currently ranked 120th in the world and won three Challenger titles last season. Becoming the second-youngest player in history to do so after Richard Gasquet. At this week’s Madrid Open he defeated Adrian Mannarino in the first round to become the youngest ever player to win a match in the tournament’s history.
Alcaraz’s reward for that victory is a showdown with his idol Nadal who made his debut in the tournament during the same year he was born. The match has been billed as the clash of the generations between Spanish players but Ferrero says too much shouldn’t be looked into the result.
“All that talk about Carlos as a relay (placement) for Rafa I think it’s not good for him. It’s an added pressure that he gets,” news agency EFE quoted Ferrero as saying. “I like to think that we have another player who has a lot of potential. With his game and his way of facing game by game, face to face with the players, makes me trust that he will be very good. But you have to go step by step. Wednesday is a generational duel.”
Ferrero has been working on the Tour with Alcaraz since September 2018. He also has his own academy called JC Ferrero Equelite which is based in Villena. Alcaraz trains at the academy as well as other players such as Pablo Carreno Busta.
On paper the upcoming showdown should be a relatively easy win for the 20-time Grand Slam champion. However, Ferrero believes Alcaraz has the ability to trouble Nadal on the clay. Saying the teenager grew up studying the game of the world No.2.
“Rafa already knows Carlos because we trained together in Australia,” he said.
“He had that opportunity to play a set and a half. He knows that Carlos is dangerous, that he has to go out with everything.”
“We know that Rafa on the clay is practically invincible, but the biggest challenge will be trying to be mentally stable all the time,” Ferrero added.
Should Alcaraz defeat Nadal in Madrid he would become the youngest and lowest ranked player in history to so on the clay.
SEE ALSO: Carlos Alcaraz Looks Ahead To ‘Dream’ Showdown With Nadal After Historic Win In Madrid
