Toni Nadal has seen tennis' future.
His name is Carlos Alcaraz.
“Carlos Alcaraz is probably the player best positioned to succeed the members of the Big Three on the world stage,” Toni Nadal wrote in his new column for El Pais
Auger-Aliassime: Alcaraz is the Future of the Game
The 18-year-old Alcaraz made history as the youngest man to reach the US Open quarterfinals in the Open Era.
Tonight, Alcaraz faces Felix Auger-Aliassime, coached by Toni Nadal, with history on the line. Alcaraz bids to become the youngest semifinalist since an 18-year-old Dennis Ralston made the final four at the 1960 US Championships.
Alcaraz showed power and poise stunning world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in round three to become the youngest man to defeat a Top-3 US Open seed since 1973.
Toni Nadal says Alcaraz is technically and tactically sound and owns the weapons—the heavy forehand, strong serve, damaging backhand and physicality—that makes him the one to watch as a future champion.
“He is a very complete tennis player, with a clean and easy technique that allows him to generate great shots from any position,” Toni Nadal wrote. “He stands out above all his forehandstroke, undoubtedly already one of the best on the circuit. His backhand is good and solid. He has a considerable serve speed without difficulty. And his volley, although it can be improved, allows him to go to the net without precipitation."
Toni Nadal, who taught nephew Rafael Nadal the game and coached the king of clay to most of his Grand Slam championships, said Alcaraz's win over Tsitsipas shows he is capable of producing an exceptionally high standard of play repeatedly and that's another reason why Alcaraz can be a Big 3 successor.
"When I analyze a player after a victory of this nature, the first question I ask myself is whether the tennis player has been forced to make extraordinary blows to defeat his opponent, if he has displayed a level that is hardly within his usual reach and if his victory responds to the fact of playing beyond his means," Toni Nadal wrote for El Pais. "In this case I didn't have that impression. Carlos played a great match but he did not leave me with the feeling that what I was seeing he could not repeat it very regularly...
"Spanish tennis not only has a promising horizon; it has Carlos Alcaraz, who is not only the present, but probably the player best positioned to succeed the members of the Big Three on the world stage."
Photo credit: Andrew Ong/USTA/US Open