Three cheers for Carlos Alcaraz! As if triumphing at the Wimbledon Championships for the second consecutive time wasn’t enough, the young Spaniard has now earned high praise from countryman Rafael Nadal. After putting up a sensational two-week campaign at the grass-court major, Alcaraz has turned several heads, with Nadal being the latest addition to the list.

With his latest SW19 victory over seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, the 21-year-old has pocketed a total of four grass slam titles. Had he been able to defeat Alcaraz, the Serbian would have equaled Roger Federer’s tally at eight. While reflecting on the Big 3’s journey, Nadal spoke about how his young compatriot has solidified his fan base at every Major event. Moreover, the Majorcan drew parallels between the World No. 3 and the ‘Big 3’ concerning their threat and favoritism at Slams.

Rafael Nadal believes Alcaraz poses a threat at every Grand Slam

Scripting records and amassing accolades isn’t easy. However, it’s something that the Big 3 have already accomplished. Nevertheless, despite their on-court dominance, they’ve never fully ascertained their formidability at every Slam. While talking to the ATP Tour ahead of the 2024 Bastad Open, Nadal addressed the reason why Carlos Alcaraz impresses the tennis world. The 22-time Grand Slam champion stated that the young Spaniard’s zealous personality has a ring to it, something which the Big 3 failed to garner at every Major tournament on the Tour.

“No player was the favorite before every tournament and today I feel like he has that aura, that feeling. That’s a big advantage because I think he feels that [if] he’s playing at his level [that] it’s difficult for anyone to beat him,” Nadal gushed.

When the Spaniard commenced his career, Federer was known to dominate the grass courts. With time, the grass courts and the hard courts domain were shared by Djokovic and the former World No. 1 Swiss. As for Nadal, clay courts were his favorite hunting ground. However, things have seemingly changed ever since Alcaraz’s induction on the professional circuit. He has produced effective results on every surface and registered a noteworthy goodwill among tennis fans across the globe.

Novak Djokovic heaps praise at Carlos Alcaraz after 2024 Wimbledon final

Rafael Nadal wasn’t the one to appreciate Alcaraz on his recent achievements. The Spaniard’s SW19 opponent, Novak Djokovic, also reserved a few words for the youngster’s remarkable performance. While talking in a post-match press conference, the 24-time Grand Slam champion admitted that the 21-year-old outplayed him in the event’s summit clash.

Moreover, the World No. 2 also praised the Spaniard’s serving prowess. “I’ve never seen him serve that way. 136mph. I’ve never seen him serve that fast. He really outplayed me, He was better than me in every aspect of the game.” Spry as his age deserved, Alcaraz chased every ball Djokovic threw in his court, outhinking and outplaying the Serbiantor. By thwarting the Serb’s challenge at the grass court, Alcaraz became the youngest tennis pro to clinch the French Open and the SW19 in the same calendar year.

For now, the World No. 3 has defeated the World No. 2. Will the rest of the year go in the same manner?