It has been a smooth transition for Spanish tennis. While Rafael Nadal’s career was nearing its end, in came Carlos Alcaraz, who has taken the tennis world by storm. At just 22 years of age, the Spanish sensation has already won four Grand Slam titles and looks hungry for more. Moreover, Alcaraz idolizes Nadal and wants to achieve big things like the 22-time Grand Slam champion. Amid this, Nadal’s uncle, Toni Nadal, revealed a massive advantage for Alcaraz that the likes of Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic didn’t have when they were playing together.
In the current state of men’s tennis, Alcaraz’s biggest competitor is Jannik Sinner. Apart from the two, no other player has managed to show the consistency required at the top level in recent times. Take the example of last year, where Sinner and Alcaraz shared two major titles each and no other player even managed to sniff the victory. Thus, Toni Nadal feels that the level of competition has fallen.
During an interview, Nadal’s uncle revealed (translated from Spanish to English), “He has only one rival, which is Sinner […] he has an advantage over Federer, Djokovic, and company […] I think there is less level.” Meanwhile, Toni Nadal has been quite outspoken about Alcaraz. He is bullish on his future and expects big things from him in the coming years.
Toni Nadal habla de Alcaraz en Lorca
“@carlosalcaraz es un grandísimo jugador, todo lo hace muy bien”
“Tiene un solo rival, que es Sinner […] tiene una ventaja con respecto a los Federer, Djokovic, y compañía […] creo que hay menos nivel” pic.twitter.com/RV2jC212XP
— La 7 Deportes (@la7deportes) May 30, 2025
Additionally, Nadal’s uncle also named Alcaraz as the successor to the Big 3, saying, “Carlos Alcaraz is probably the player best positioned to succeed the members of the Big Three on the world stage. He is a very complete tennis player, with a clean and easy technique that allows him to generate great shots from any position.”
Even as Nadal’s uncle predicted Alcaraz to win more and more Grand Slam titles, he also had a warning for the Spaniard. It is regarding his biggest rival, Jannik Sinner, and Alcaraz has to be careful with it.
Toni Nadal’s warning for Carlos Alcaraz
While Alcaraz was dominating the proceedings back in 2023, Jannik Sinner slowly emerged to usher in his domination on the ATP Tour. As a result, most of the big titles were divided between Sinner and Alcaraz. With Sinner’s rise, Toni Nadal feels that the only hurdle between Alcaraz and history is Sinner.
Talking about it, he said, “If I may go back to Alcaraz, since he is the one we care about, I must say that I still enjoy his game more – I like him even more, but also admit and fear that the notorious improvement of the current leader, especially at a mental level, will make things really difficult for him. The rivalry, definitely, is served.”
Both Alcaraz and Sinner are going strong at the ongoing French Open. They have made it to the third round and have looked good to make it through. The two could set up a meeting in the summit clash, which would be an interesting watch for the fans. Interestingly, Alcaraz has a 7-4 lead over Sinner when it comes to their head-to-head matches. Can Alcaraz add another French Open title to his kitty this year? Let us know your views in the comments below.
The post “Has an Advantage Over Federer, Djokovic”: Carlos Alcaraz Earns Huge Praise From Rafael Nadal’s Uncle Amid French Open Run appeared first on EssentiallySports.