1999 Australian Open semifinalist Nicolas Lapentti thinks Carlos Alcaraz is better than Rafael Nadal was at 19. Alcaraz, who turned 19 in May, is already a Grand Slam champion and the youngest No 1 in tennis history. Also, Alcaraz has two Masters titles and recently he became the youngest-ever Year-End No 1.
Even though Nadal was doing major things at 19 as well, Lapentti feels Alcaraz is a bit better.
Lapentti on why Alcaraz is better at 19 than Nadal was
“If you can compare Alcaraz to Nadal when they were both 19, Alcaraz is much better in many different things.
He serves better than Rafa. From the baseline, he is a bit more aggressive. Rafa was bad with his transition when he was 19 then he started improving a lot and tried to get more aggressive. They move pretty similar. When they have to defend, they are very good – both of them.
Then, coming to the net, Alcaraz is much better than where Rafa was at 19. So, in many ways, Alcaraz is better,” he added.If you can compare Alcaraz to Nadal when they were both 19, Alcaraz is much better in many different things.
He serves better than Rafa. From the baseline, he is a bit more aggressive. Rafa was bad with his transition when he was 19 then he started improving a lot and tried to get more aggressive. They move pretty similar. When they have to defend, they are very good – both of them.
Then, coming to the net, Alcaraz is much better than where Rafa was at 19. So, in many ways, Alcaraz is better,” Lapentti said on the Craig Shapiro podcast, as quoted on Sportskeeda. Throughout the entire season, Alcaraz was often compared to Nadal.
When asked about those comparisons, Alcaraz simply said his main goal was to be the best version of Carlos Alcaraz. On the other side, Nadal told the media they would do Alcaraz a favor if they stopped comparing the 19-year-old to him.
