By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Stefanos Tsitsipas has seen the future of tennis.
And he looks a little like a champion with a glorious past.
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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 today, 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.”
Former Roland Garros runner-up Tsitsipas has beaten the Big 3, but he's been confounded by Alcaraz.
Riding his crackling topspin forehand and an audacious drop shot, Alcaraz stunned the third-seeded Tsitsipas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6, 7-6(5) in a coming-of-age 2021 US Open third-round conquest. The then 18-year-old Spaniard made history as the youngest man to defeat a Top-3 US Open seed since 1973—and the youngest man to reach the round of 16 in Flushing Meadows since a 17-year-old Michael Chang and 18-year-old Pete Sampras did it back in 1989.
A year later, Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud to win his maiden major at the US Open.
"Carlos is one of the most complicated and complete players I have ever faced," said Tsitsipas, who lost to Alcaraz 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 at the 2022 Barcelona. "In fact, I never beat him. I hope to improve if I have to play with him. I think our rivalry will extend over time."
Photo credit: Getty