Despite Rafael Nadal's "almost impossible" 14 titles at French Open, Carlos Alcaraz hopes to take on Spaniard at his favorite venue
Acknowledging Rafael Nadal's greatness at the French Open, Carlos Alcaraz recently said that his compatriot's record of winning 14 titles in Paris was unthinkable. However, the youngster expressed his desire to face his idol at his favorite venue.
In the early 2000s, few imagined it possible to surpass Pete Sampras' record of 14 Majors. Then came Nadal, who has won 14 Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros alone. He has a win percentage of 97% in Paris, amounting to 112 wins from 115 matches. Novak Djokovic is the only other player to lift at least 10 trophies at a Major tournament — the Australian Open.
Ahead of his first match at the 2023 Madrid Open, defending champion Alcaraz spoke to Marca. He exuded confidence at the prospect of beating his idol on Court Philippe-Chatrier but admitted that it was a daunting task.
"I have always said that I like to play against the best and Nadal is one of the best in history, there is no doubt about it," Alcaraz said. "His tournament is Roland Garros, he has more titles, but this is the most symbolic for him. I would love to play him at Roland Garros, measure myself against him, and see what happens. I think I could beat him, but Rafa has a thousand lives there."
When asked if he thought anyone could win a prominent tournament 14 times ever again, Alcaraz stated that the feat was "almost impossible" even at an ATP 250 event.
"I was going to say no but then I put a limit on myself, so I will say that it is almost impossible to win any tournament 14 times, even if it is 250. But let's try. In life, you have to challenge yourself. Hopefully, I can be like Rafa in this. A player who has won a tournament 14 times will always go as a favorite," he added.
Nadal leads 2-1 head-to-head against Alcaraz. Their last meeting came in the 2022 Madrid Open quarterfinals, where the 19-year-old won in three sets.
Not looking to take over from Rafael Nadal, says Carlos Alcaraz
Rafael Nadal has won the Barcelona Open a record 12 times. Carlos Alcaraz defended his title at the ATP 500 tournament last week but made it clear that he was not thinking about his countryman's achievements.
"I don't want to take over from anyone. I've always wanted to play against the best and it's a pity that Rafa hasn't been here. Let's hope he continues playing for a long time. I don't want to take over from anyone but build my own history," Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz has also set a goal for himself — to be the greatest tennis player ever, and in order to do that, he wants to beat Nadal and Novak Djokovic as many times as possible.