Carlos Alcaraz is just 22, already has five Grand Slam titles, and is chasing tennis history with the kind of pace that leaves people gasping. He’s young, he’s Spanish, and he’s brilliant on clay, having won the French Open twice in a row. Of course, the comparisons were coming. Because when someone says they grew up idolizing Rafael Nadal and then starts winning like him, it’s hard not to connect the dots. Nadal, too, was a teenage prodigy with relentless grit and an iron forehand. So, what does Alcaraz make of all this chatter about filling the shoes of his idol?

The numbers, oddly enough, are lining up like a script. Nadal was 22 years, one month, and three days old when he won his fifth Slam at Wimbledon in 2008. When Alcaraz lifted his fifth major at Roland Garros this year, he was exactly the same age. But the 22-year-old is not leaning into the déjà vu. In fact, he’s waving it off.

“I don’t want people to call me Rafa’s successor,” Alcaraz said in a conversation with the Financial Times. He added, “Tennis has always had great rivalries and great players. It’s a privilege that people look at our games that way, with such enthusiasm, but in the end we have no obligation to do what they have done, far from it. If you don’t stay strong in your ideals, in what you want, that pressure can eat you. You have to know how to differentiate. We try not to think about any pressure and least of all about doing what they did.”

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have claimed a firm grip on the sport’s biggest stages, capturing each of the last seven Grand Slam titles. That streak began in the wake of Novak Djokovic’s victory at the 2023 US Open. With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal retired, and Novak Djokovic nearing the end of his career, the torch has quietly and unmistakably passed. A new generation has arrived and is carving out its own legacy.

And even the legends themselves are watching the next wave with open arms.

Rafael Nadal “not bothered” about Carlos Alcaraz surpassing him

Carlos Alcaraz had made his third straight final at SW19, but Jannik Sinner got the better of him this time. A win would have given the 22-year-old more Wimbledon titles than Nadal, who owns two. It didn’t work out this year, but with the way Alcaraz is playing, it might not take long.

However, Rafael Nadal, now retired, has made it clear that he’s not losing sleep over the idea of being surpassed by the kid who grew up admiring him. “It will not bother me at all if Carlos has done better than me when he finishes his career,” Nadal said. “If I were 22 again and played the Wimbledon final against Carlos, I could very well lose because he is an incredible player. I think he does better things than me on grass because he possesses a better serve and volley than me at his age.”

That praise now follows Alcaraz into the hard-court season, where the expectations are just as high. The 5-time Grand Slam champion will return to action at the Cincinnati Open, and the pressure is building. Last year’s run was rocky. He crashed out in the second round at Cincinnati to Gael Monfils and later suffered a shock defeat at the US Open, bowing out in the second round to Botic van de Zandschulp.

Carlos Alcaraz may follow in Nadal’s footsteps, but the path he’s carving is distinctly his own. He’s bidding for a sixth major at the US Open. Can he conquer New York this year?