'We all want to see': Former world number one dismisses comparison between Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal

Former world number one Amelie Mauresmo has dismissed the comparison between Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and the legendary Rafael Nadal. There has been constant comparison between the two, largely because both are from Spain and show the exact same emotions on the court.

While Alcaraz is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, Nadal is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of sports after winning 22 Grand Slam titles. The comparison has grown in the recent past with Alcaraz cementing some notable triumphs on clay where Nadal dominated like no other player did in the history of sport.

In 2024, the 22-year-old lifted his first-ever French Open title after beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final in a five-set thriller with a score of 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2. This year, Alcaraz has already lifted two ATP 1000 events on clay, the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the final and the Rome Open, where he got the better of reigning world number one Jannik Sinner in the final.

In between that, Alcaraz finished as the runner-up at the Barcelona Open, losing to Denmark’s Holger Rune in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2. Despite all of that, former world number one Mauresmo believes that there is no comparison between Nadal and Alcaraz. The 45-year-old spoke to TNT Sports, where she stated that, in her opinion, there will never be another Nadal or Federer.

"New Rafa? No one is going to be a new Rafa or a new Roger or a new Novak. I would hate myself for saying this," she said. "But he's really one of the young ones showing some incredible skills on the court, incredible spirit and mental strength, along with obviously being physically really strong. We all want to see, after this generation of three huge names winning 20 or more Grand Slams, if this young generation, Carlos, Jannik... who is going to be able, maybe not to follow in those steps because they're pretty big shoes to fill, but to show what they can do."