Carlos Alcaraz backed to have edge over Nadal in bid to surpass Djokovic’s Grand Slam record

As per Tennis 365, Nadal said: “We are talking about a player who has everything with Carlos Alcaraz. He has a great serve, a great forehand, a backhand, a powerful physique, he is fast and he handles pressure.

“One positive aspect is that the competition is currently quite low. Today the only player who casts a shadow over Alcaraz is [Jannik] Sinner.

“In Rafael’s time there was Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Alexander Zverev, Juan Martin Del Potro, David Ferrer.

“With all those players you could face them in the quarter-finals or even the first round and they could eliminate you. Today, in Alcaraz’s case, there is a big difference.

“I don’t see a wide group of players who have options to win a Grand Slam. I think he is a player who will win many Grand Slams. He has the advantage of aiming for 20, 22 or even 23 Grand Slams.

“It’s very complicated because it requires minimum consistency and mental strength to suffer not very high wear. I see it as difficult but it could be possible.”

How Carlos Alcaraz has fared in 2026 so far

Carlos Alcaraz’s start to the 2026 season couldn’t have been much better, picking up a long string of wins from the opening round of the Australian Open.

He continued that momentum into Qatar, where he secured the 26th title of his career without dropping more than one set throughout the event. He also claimed his sixth Masters 1000 title at Miami during that run.

The first bump in the road came at Indian Wells, where he fell to Daniil Medvedev in straight sets during the semifinals. The following week, Sebastian Korda handed him another surprising defeat, marking Alcaraz’s worst result since losing to Cameron Norrie at the Paris Masters.

His latest defeat came just before a wrist injury put him on hold for an extended spell away from tennis. He was beaten by Jannik Sinner in three sets at Monte Carlo before heading into recovery.