Is Carlos Alcaraz an heir apparent to Rafael Nadal? A look at his staggering record

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic are known as the ‘Big 3’ of tennis, courtesy of the combined 67 grand slam titles among them. While Djokovic became the first man on the planet to win 23 Grand Slam titles last month at the French Open 2023, Nadal was the first of the Big 3 to complete the tally of 22. In recent years, Spain has produced another sensational talent named Carlos Alcaraz who looks to already be following in the footsteps of Rafael Nadal.

3 Things You Need To Know

• Rafael Nadal has won 22 major titles so far in his career
• Roger Federer retired in 2022 with 20 grand slam titles to his name
• Novak Djokovic has won 11 major titles after turning 30

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Rafael Nadal or Carlos Alcaraz: Who had the better numbers at age 19?

Rafael Nadal undoubtedly was the Spanish king of tennis for over 15 years, before Carlos Alcaraz emerged on to scene. The 20-year-old turned professional in 2018 and won his maiden Grand Slam title by winning the US Open 2022 at the age of 19. Alcaraz was only other Spaniard after Nadal to win a Grand Slam title since 2003.

His triumph at the US Open last year made him the youngest player ever to reach the no. 1 rankings in men’s singles. He was 19 years, 4 months, and six days old when he achieved the milestone. On the other hand, Nadal made his professional debut in 2005 at the age of 19 and later became the world no. 1 for the first time at the age of 22.

Rafael Nadal's records as a youngster

However, it is worth noting that Nadal topped the rankings only by replacing Roger Federer, who was at the peak of his career. Whereas, Alcaraz’s current rivals are understandably not as good as the Swiss legend was back in the day. Moreover, Nadal went on to achieve several other records at the age of only 19.

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Although Alcaraz became the youngest ever world no. 1 last year, Nadal was the youngest player ever to be in the world top 100 in 2003 at the age of 17. Nadal is also the youngest male player in tennis history to register a golden slam. He was also the fourth youngest player in history to win the French Open at the age of 19 years and two days on June 5, 2005.

Carlos Alcaraz heads into Wimbledon 2023 Championships as world no. 1

Ahead of the 2023 Wimbledon championships, Carlos Alcaraz has replaced Djokovic to reclaim the World No. 1 title. He won the Queen's Club tournament in London, which was his fifth title win of the season. In his career so far, he has a record of winning 130 matches and losing only 35. He has also won a total of 11 titles in his young career.