"I don't want people to know me as a mini Rafael Nadal, I want to be known as a young, humble guy who knows what he needs to do" - Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz is regarded as the next Rafa but he would much rather be thought of as himself

Carlos Alcaraz has been touted as the next big thing in tennis by fans and pundits alike. Some have even gone as far as calling him "the next Rafael Nadal". But the World No. 31 has revealed that he would much rather be recognized for his own qualities.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Christopher Clarey for The New York Times, the Spanish sensation said he wanted to be known as himself instead of constantly being compared with his illustrious compatriot. Alcaraz added that he is still a young player who has a lot to achieve.

"I don’t want people to know me as a mini-Nadal or a second Nadal. I just want to be Carlos Alcaraz," Alcaraz said. "[I want to be known as] a young, humble guy who knows what he needs to do. A kid who wants to make his dreams come true and is working for that, training for that every day."

Went to Spain to spend time with Carlos Alcaraz, a teenager with justifiably big #tennis dreams who's drawing comparisons to #Nadal at the same age but has a photo of #Federer in his room

Today he plays for a spot in the Round of 16 in Australia

nytimes.com/2022/01/20/spo… https://t.co/wCYBBcQs3E

Alcaraz remarked that he did not want to think too much about people's expectations and just wanted to stay "happy and lively" on the tennis court.

"I need to be happy and lively on the court. When I’m dead serious the whole time, it’s not a good sign for me. It makes me more nervous," Alcaraz said. "People focus on me because I’m young and doing very well, and people are always interested when you do things at a young age. But I am really not trying to focus on that.”

Carlos Alcaraz's loss to Matteo Berrettini has put paid to his hopes of facing Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open

Alcaraz could have met the 20-time Major winner in the semifinals of the Australian Open had he not crashed out in the third round

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal landed in the same half of the Australian Open draw, meaning they were in line to meet each either in the semifinals provided they both reached that stage.

🇮🇹 Berrettini Brilliance 🇮🇹

The world No.7 survives Carlos Alcaraz 6-2 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2 7-6(5) to reach the #AusOpen round of 16 for the second time.

#AO2022 https://t.co/dAGS417Afx

However, Alcaraz crashed out of the Melbourne Major in the third round against Matteo Berrettini. The 31st seed put up a tough fight against the World No. 7 but the Italian prevailed 6-4, 7-6(3), 4-6, 2-6, 7-6(5) in a five-set marathon that lasted four hours and 10 minutes.

The Spaniard clawed his way out of a two-set deficit, but Berrettini held his nerve in the final-set tie-break to move into the fourth round.

Nadal, meanwhile, will play Olympic silver medallist Karen Khachanov later on Friday. The winner will face either Aslan Karatsev or Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round.