Seventeen years ago, young Nadal reached the final of the Miami Masters, and the Spaniard almost took home the title. He led Federer in two sets and led Federer 4-1 in the third set. The Swiss then successfully reversed, winning the five-set match and winning the championship. Nadal was only 18 at the time, but, despite bitter setbacks against Federer, the energetic left-hander was clearly firmly on the front lines of the sport. In that big season, Nadal won 11 events, including his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros. He ended the year with the second-best result in the world. Later stories are known to everyone, including his record of 21 Grand Slams, which prove his greatness again and again.
Spain's amazing 18-year-old heritage
Now, another 18-year-old Spaniard has had a strikingly similar experience, performing his best on the highest stage. Carlos Alcaraz beat Norway's Rudd 7-5, 6-4 in the miami open final to become the youngest Miami Open champion in history. Alcaraz is the 14th seeded player and the third youngest player in history to win the Masters. In 1990, 18-year-old Zhang Depei won the Toronto championship and was the youngest player; In 2005, at the age of 18, Nadal won the Monte Carlo championship and was the second youngest player. It is no accident that Alcaraz achieved this at such a young age, and it was only a matter of time before he shone on the Grand Slam stage. There is a growing perception that Alcaraz will succeed at a Grand Slam event later in the season, perhaps at the New York Open in late summer.
Since Nadal in 2005, no young man in the world has been able to play at this level. To be sure, Nadal exploded in the months after Miami that season, changing the landscape of tennis forever. In my opinion, Alcaraz is preparing to change his career in the same way for the rest of 2022, and for the rest of his career. Can he win 11 tournaments like Nadal did in 2005? I doubt it. But he has won two titles this season and there is no doubt that he will win at least four or five titles in the next competition. In my opinion, at the end of 2022, he will inevitably be among the top five in the world. At its best, he might even be fighting for the year-end top spot.
Alcaraz completely threw off the hat of Nadal's successor
Nadal was already a top competitor in 2005 and was almost always improving his level and reaching his best potential in the biggest competitions. Alcaraz's dynamism, optimism and passion are reminiscent of Nadal, who was hailed as Nadal's successor as soon as he debuted, but his game is undoubtedly more advanced and diverse than Nadal's performance at the same age. It's clear to us that different tennis legends have different career trajectories, with Djokovic and Murray debuting from Sampras and Agassi, and now in some ways surpassing their former idols.
Nadal was more mature at the age of 18 and his batting options may have been more mature and precise, but Alcaraz as a teenage player is certainly a more complete player. He basically has all the abilities: his attacks on both wings are explosive, his serves are varied, his delicate touches and timely hanging balls. His coverage on the pitch is almost unparalleled. He constantly presses his opponents, and he is not only willing to step up when attacking in midfield, but also to selectively receive serves and intercepts. The most impressive of his latter tactics was the backhand kick-off, which opened the field for a regular first interception, and sometimes his return ball was able to successfully deceive the opponent.
Alcaras, who once rejected the title of Nadal's successor in an interview earlier this year, said he only wanted to be himself, and now, he has not started his own dynasty, but it seems that all this is already traceable!