"It's not a lack of confidence in my abilities, but I don't think that I and the other young people can repeat what they have done" - Carlos Alcaraz on Federer, Nadal and Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz is widely regarded as one of the best young players on tour. However, he's under no illusions about emulating the exploits of the Big 3 of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, despite no dearth of confidence in his abilities.
Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are three all-time greats of the game, winning a staggering 63 Grand Slams, 11 ATP Finals and 102 Masters 1000 titles between them. They have each won over 1,000 singles matches and over 85 titles and have been World No. 1 for at least 100 weeks.
Alcaraz, 19, has had a blistering start to his young career, winning five titles already, including two Masters 1000s. The World No. 4 has also made two Grand Slam quarterfinals, eliciting comparisons with the Big 3.
Carlos Alcaraz had another breakthrough week in Madrid.Youngest man to win Madrid ✔️
Most ATP titles this year (4) ✔️
5-0 in career finals (all straight sets) ✔️
7-match winning streak vs Top 10 players ✔️
Youngest man to have beaten both Nadal and Djokovic ✔️
19-year-old 🇪🇸 Carlos Alcaraz had another breakthrough week in Madrid.
However, the teenager dismissed talks of taking over from the Big 3, saying they're in a league of their own. Instead, he's more focussed on carving out a niche for himself.
"No, I didn't think that (taking over from the Big 3)," Alcaraz told Corriere dello Sport (via Punto de Break). "It's not a lack of confidence in my abilities or those of my teammates, but I don't think that I and the other young people can repeat what they have done. We are talking about an impossible company, and that is not in my thoughts at the moment."
Alcaraz will compete at the Canadian Masters in Montreal this week.
"In New York, I want to do what I couldn't do in the other Grand Slams, which is to get past the quarterfinals" - Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz has made a 75-25 start to his young career, which is better than how Federer, Nadal and Djokovic fared after 100 matches. The young Spaniard has won five of his seven career singles finals.
He has also fared well at the Majors, reaching at least the third round at all four events. At the US Open this month, Alcaraz will look to reach his first Major semifinal and possibly go all the way.
"In New York, I want to do what I couldn't do in the other Grand Slams, which is to get past the quarterfinals. I have no preference over which one to win first. ... I don't think I should be picky about Grand Slam titles," said Alcaraz.
The Spaniard is coming off a loss in the Umag final, where his bid for a first successful title defense was thwarted by Jannik Sinner.
Sinner's second victory over Alcaraz in the space of a month earned him his sixth career title - and first of 2022
Alcaraz will now gun for his third Masters 1000 title in Montreal ahead of a deep run at the US Open.