'Rafa faced tougher rivals' – Toni Nadal points out difference between Carlos Alcaraz & Rafael Nadal

During the 2025 Roland-Garros, Carlos Alcaraz billed Rafael Nadal as his ‘idol’.

Tennis coach Toni Nadal has claimed the main difference between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz is the type of opponents that they have faced.

The tennis coach believes that the rivals Alcaraz is facing on the tour are weaker than the opponents Nadal faced during his professional career.

Toni Nadal coached Rafael Nadal for nearly three decades, from 1989 to 2017, helping the Spaniard win more than 800 matches on the tour, in addition to 20 Grand Slam titles and 36 ATP Masters titles.

Later, the 64-year-old also served as Canadian tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime’s coach between 2021 and 2024. Thus, the Spanish coach has observed the game closely over the decades while also being part of the transition.

During a recent interview with Punto de Break, he talked about the major difference between the two key figures in Spanish tennis.

Toni Nadal lauded Carlos Alcaraz, claiming that the 22-year-old has the complete recipe for success. He said, “Everyone sees what he is achieving; his athletic attributes are incredible. He truly has everything he needs to succeed.”

While comparing the eras in which the two played the sport, the 64-year-old highlighted that Nadal faced tougher opponents. He added, “Besides, he has an advantage that players from years ago didn’t have: his rivals are a bit weaker, less committed than those from a few years back.”

The 64-year-old affirmed that Alcaraz has only one tough rival, which is Jannik Sinner, who also trails 10-6 in their head-to-head tally.

However, the Italian tennis star defeated him in the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, halting the Spaniard’s bid for a third consecutive title at SW19.

Also Read: Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic? Rafael Nadal names player who was easier to face

Unlike the ongoing period, Toni Nadal stated that, except for the Big Three members, the likes of Andy Murray, Juan Martín del Potro, David Ferrer, and Stan Wawrinka were also actively competing on the top level for the title.

He added, “He does have a great rival in Jannik Sinner, true, one who is always present, but the others have fallen by the wayside. I remember perfectly that during Rafael’s era, besides Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, there were other great players like Andy Murray, Juan Martín del Potro, David Ferrer, or Stan Wawrinka, to name a few.”

The last eight Grand Slam titles have been equally divided between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Additionally, the two have faced each other in the finals of the last three consecutive Grand Slams.

Meanwhile, the ‘Big Three’ won a total of 66 out of 83 Grand Slam titles between 2003 and 2023. Only Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka won multiple major titles during this period.

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