Nadal’s uncle says Alcaraz has advantage over Rafa: ‘Opponents are weaker’

Former coach and uncle of tennis legend Rafael Nadal, Tony Nadal compared his nephew to Carlos Alcarazthe leading athlete in the sport right now. According to him, the current number 1 of ATP has an advantage over Rafa due to the fact that the level of competitiveness is currently lower.

“His career (Alcaraz) will depend on his will and that of his rivals. He has an advantage that those of the past did not have: his opponents are a little weaker, less committed. Alcaraz has a great rival in Sinner, who is still around, but the others seem to have diminished commitment or confidence. I remember that during Rafael’s era, besides Djokovic and Federer, there was Murray, Del Potro, David Ferrer, Wawrinka, who were always there. Today the rivals have disappeared,” he said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper. Zamora’s opinion.

During his career spanning more than 20 years, Nadal, who put Spain on top of the world, won a total of 22 Grand Slam tournaments, facing rivals such as Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic at their peak. His compatriot Alcaraz, just 22 years old, has 6 titles in the main tennis tournaments and is currently fighting for first place in the world rankings with the Italian Jannik Sinner.

Also in the interview, Toni also commented on Nadal’s life after retirement. He said that, despite the new routine, the former tennis player continues the same and now devotes himself to his children and family.

“As a person he is exactly the same, but he doesn’t play anymore. He continues to do the same things and behave the same way, even though he is now a father. Before, he always focused on winning. Today he has other priorities, but personally he hasn’t changed anything,” he explained.

Carlos Alcaraz has won Grand Slam tournaments on all types of surfaces, but has not yet won the Australian Open, which opens the annual calendar of major tennis competitions. The Spaniard will have the chance to seek a new title in Melbourne from January 12, 2026.