NARRATIVE – The precociousness of the two men encourages comparison, but the youngest, opposed this Tuesday in the quarter-finals to Tsitsipas, has already emancipated himself from his idol. Illustration with Toni Nadal and Fabrice Santoro.
Since his first steps on the circuit, and even more so in recent months over his dazzling performances, the label has stuck to Carlos Alcaraz’s skin. That of “new Nadal”, heir and copy version 2.0. Is comparison right? Besides their nationality, Alcaraz won his first tournament at 18 just like Nadal (Umag for Alcaraz, Sopot for Nadal).
And they both won their first Grand Slam at the age of 19 (US Open for Alcaraz, Roland-Garros for Nadal). The eldest, 37, admitted it himself a year ago: “Carlos reminds me of a lot of things when I was 17 or 18. He has this passion for the game and at the same time this humility to work hard.
The interested party insists that his game is more akin to that of a Federer than a Nadal. It is true that beyond his guiding hand (the right), it is this more aggressive playing line than that of left-handed Nadal at the same age which clearly distinguishes him from his elder.
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