Rafael Nadal doesn’t believe Carlos Alcaraz isn’t ‘mentally strong’ after the 21-year-old said he was struggling following his shock elimination from the US Open.
Alcaraz was sent crashing out of the competition on Friday, with Botic van de Zandschulp beating him in straight sets to sail through to the third round.
After the defeat, the Spaniard said he was ‘not well mentally’ – setting off some alarm bells in the process.
“The truth is that what I feel right now is that instead of taking steps forward, I’ve taken steps back in terms of my head and I don’t understand why,” he said.
“Because I came from a spectacular summer, from Roland Garros, from Wimbledon, coming out of there saying that mentally I had taken a step forward, like I had realised that to win big things or Grand Slams you had to be mentally tough. I come to this tour and it’s like I’ve taken steps back.
“It’s like I’m not well mentally.
“I’m not well, I’m not strong.
“Among the problems I have is that I don’t know how to control myself, I don’t know how to manage it and that’s a problem for me, really.”
Yet Nadal disagrees with those comments and thinks Alcaraz merely needs a rest.
The duo played doubles at the Paris Olympics together earlier in the summer.
And Alcaraz put his body through the wringer as he battled his way to glory at the French Open and Wimbledon, too
Nadal, speaking to El Hormiguero, said: “I don’t think Carlos is mentally not strong.
“What he is is a little bit tired and saturated by everything he has achieved this summer, winning Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the silver in Paris.
“There is a certain moment when the mind also needs a little rest because in an Olympic year the calendar is even tighter and the demands are very high.”
Alcaraz has been dubbed the heir to Nadal’s throne.
Despite the big expectations those comparisons bring, however, he’s still won a remarkable four Grand Slam titles already.
His first came at the US Open in 2022, with Alcaraz then proceeding to win Wimbledon the following year.
And he’s since added two more majors to his growing collection in 2024, too.
Nadal, discussing the comparisons between himself and Alcaraz, said: “He is good enough so that comparisons don’t affect him.
“He is making his way, and I think it is a very nice coincidence that after a career like the one I am having, someone like Carlos has come out.
“It is difficult that, from the same country, after a player like me, another comes out who is going to make history in the sport.
“We try to do our thing, you read things and you accept it.”
