As the tennis world prepares for a Roland Garros without Rafael Nadal for the first time since 2004, speculations on this year’s potential winners are heating up. At the forefront of it is the King of Clay’s compatriot and current world number 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who will be looking to clinch his 2nd Grand Slam title. With the opportunity of winning the French Open crown looming large, young Alcaraz’s journey to the top seems similar to that of the Spanish legend in many ways!

Tennis commentator Barbara Schett recently weighed in on her predictions of Alcaraz’s career moving forward, drawing parallels to that of the great Rafael Nadal.

Can Carlos Alcaraz emulate his ‘idol’ Rafael Nadal?

The 20-year-old Spanish sensation has been the talk of the town ever since he burst onto the scene. Experts felt his all-round playing style was reminiscent of the ‘Big 3’ and comparisons with his fellow countryman Rafael Nadal were rife. Former Austrian player Barbara Schett has put Alcaraz ‘slightly’ above the rest going into French Open 2023.

She mentioned how with a physical game that demands a lot of fitness, it will be interesting to see how he fairs in the long run. Something which Nadal was successful in accomplishing.

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Speaking of his chances at Roland Garros in an interview with Eurosport, she said, “I think he can win it and I’m sure he will win it in the future. The only thing I worry about in the long-term is him physically and how his body will hold up over 15 years. I thought the exact same thing with Rafael Nadal, though, because of his physical game and his knee and foot problems, but then he has had such a long career. To me, if he is healthy, he will be the world No. 1 for a good few years.”

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What to expect at this year’s Roland Garros

Roland Garros 2023 is going to have arguably the most open men’s singles draw after Nadal’s withdrawal. Alcaraz looks as ready as ever with recent title victories at Barcelona and Madrid. Novak Djokovic‘s recent shock defeat to Holger Rune in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open will act as a confidence booster for the younger lot heading to France. Having said that, Djokovic can never be counted out from grand slams. He has his eyes firmly set on grand slam number 23. Other competitors, like Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, will also pose a significant threat to Alcaraz’s French Open quest.

Only time will tell whether young Carlos Alcaraz can have a career as long and elusive as that of the 22-time Grand Slam winner at the helm of men’s tennis. But what seems highly plausible at this moment is Alcaraz keeping the Spanish dominance intact at Court Philippe-Chatrier.

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