Carlos Alcaraz told one way he's superior to Rafael Nadal after Wimbledon triumph
Carlos Alcaraz has been hailed by Kei Nishikori after his triumph at Wimbledon
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Carlos Alcaraz is like Rafael Nadal 'but with more speed', according to Kei Nishikori.
The 20-year-old is the talk of the tennis world after his recent Wimbledon triumph, with the youngster beating Novak Djokovic in five sets to secure the trophy.
And Nishikori believes Alcaraz has a bright future ahead while also claiming the Spaniard is quicker than compatriot Nadal.
“One thing I hope to get the chance to do is to play against these great young players like Alcaraz, [Casper] Rune and [Jannik] Sinner at some point,” he told the ATP.
Carlos Alcaraz has been compared to Rafael Nadal after his triumph at Wimbledon
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“That’s part of my motivation to try to play for a few more years.
“I don’t think we have seen anyone like Alcaraz before. He looks like Rafa but he has more speed.
“Good defence, unbelievable forehand and he has a good backhand too.”
Alcaraz is the latest in a long line of Spanish Wimbledon winners.
Manolo Santana was the first, with the late, great tennis icon claiming the prize in 1966 before the Open Era.
Conchita Martinez was the first women's player to win Wimbledon, beating favourite Martina Navratilova in the 1994 final.
In 2008, the Nadal era arrived.
The Spaniard had lost successive Wimbledon finals to Roger Federer with the duo then meeting for a third time.
The match suffered with delays, with rain causing play to go on late in the evening.
But Nadal was able to power his way to victory, with the 37-year-old seeing off Federer before beating the Swiss icon in the Australian Open final months later.
He was prevented from defending his crown in 2009 due to injury.
Yet Nadal was able to claim the title back in 2010, though he's now had to wait 13 years and counting to taste glory at the All England Club again.
Garbine Muguruza won the women's title in 2017, beating Venus Williams in two sets to stun the former world No 1.
Meanwhile, tennis icon Jimmy Connors thinks Nadal could win 15 Grand Slam titles - providing he doesn't get too 'full of himself'.
“If he [Alcaraz] plays 12 more years, that’s 48 Grand Slams," he said on his podcast.
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Carlos Alcaraz recently beat Novak Djokovic in the final of Wimbledon
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"If he doesn’t get too full of himself, I’d say [he could win] 15.
"That is if he doesn’t think he doesn’t have to work hard and it’ll come easy.
"He needs to continue what he’s doing and looks like he will."
Connors added: “There’ll be some young kids coming up now that will see him who are 17 or 18 who will believe that if he can do it, I can do it.
"He’s going to set the bench. It all depends on what comes behind him because he knows what’s in front of him. I don’t think he’s afraid of that."