‘He’s lucky’: Toni Nadal says Carlos Alcaraz faces lower-calibre rivals than past greats

Nadal said that while Alcaraz possessed outstanding physical and technical qualities, the overall standard of opposition he faces today is lower than in previous eras.

2 min readFeb 2, 2026 01:37 PM IST

Nadal felt that Alexander Zverev was the only one currently who could challenge the Alcaraz-Sinner dominance in world tennis. (AP Photo)

Toni Nadal, the uncle and former coach of Rafael Nadal, has claimed that Carlos Alcaraz has been “lucky” to rise in an era of comparatively weaker opposition, saying the current generation does not pose the same challenge as players like Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and Stan Wawrinka once did. Nadal said that while Alcaraz possessed outstanding physical and technical qualities, the overall standard of opposition he faces today is lower than in previous eras.

“He [Alcaraz] has exceptional physical attributes, excellent technical skill, and on top of that, he’s lucky: his opponents are of a lower calibre. And I’m not saying this because I’m Rafael Nadal’s uncle – not at all. I try to be fair, but it’s clear.”

“Before, when you went out to play against [Juan] Del Potro, [Andy] Murray, or [Stan] Wawrinka , you knew you were going to suffer and that the match was going to be tough. If they had a great day, they could beat you,” Nadal told Onda Cero radio.

ALSO READ | Carlos Alcaraz completes Career Slam and plans kangaroo tattoo: ‘I was shaking’

Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have split each of the last nine slams since Novak Djokovic won the US Open in 2023. Nadal felt that Alexander Zverev was the only one currently who could challenge the Sincaraz dominance in world tennis.

“He’s the only one who could take on Alcaraz and Sinner, as long as he changes some habits in his game and his character,” he said.

When asked to choose between Alcaraz and Sinner, Nadal picked the former, but admitted that the latter was a lot more solid and reliable. “Personally, I much prefer Alcaraz. When they face each other, the match depends more on what the Murcian does. Looking at the numbers, I think Sinner is a little more reliable; he’s a little more solid,” he added..

Story continues below this ad

Alcaraz had partnered with the 22-time Grand Slam champion and represented Spain in the men’s doubles event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The pair was eliminated in the quarter-final stage, losing 6-2, 6-4 to the fourth-seed duo of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.