Carlos Alcaraz’s rivals ‘of a lower calibre’ than Rafael Nadal’s, according to Toni Nadal
Toni Nadal has made no secret of the fact that he is a big supporter of Carlos Alcaraz, but he has also slightly downplayed the Spaniard’s success when compared to that of Rafael Nadal as the latter’s opponents were of a higher quality.
Six-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are currently the dominant pair on the ATP Tour as they have shared the last eight Grand Slams and hogged the top two spots in the ATP Rankings with the likes of Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur, Ben Shelton and Jack Draper unable to keep up.
Tennis great Novak Djokovic is the last player not named Alcaraz or Sinner to win a Grand Slam and that was back in 2023 when he lifted the US Open and, with age no longer on his side, many feel they will continue to rule for years to come.
Of course, the Sincaraz dominance has naturally led to comparisons with the Big Three era of Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer and, with Alcaraz being Spanish, the focus is largely on Nadal.
In an interview Onda Cero radio, Toni Nadal – who coached his nephew Rafa from a young age until 2017 – said: “He [Alcaraz] has exceptional physical attributes, excellent technical skill, and on top of that, he’s lucky: his opponents are of a lower calibre,” he said on Onda Cero radio.
“Before, when you went out to play against [Juan] Del Potro, [Andy] Murray, or [Stan] Wawrinka , you knew you were going to suffer and that the match was going to be tough. If they had a great day, they could beat you.”
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As for the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry, the legendary coach has in the past stated that he thinks the Spaniard is more talented and he hasn’t changed his opinion.
“Personally, I much prefer Alcaraz. When they face each other, the match depends more on what the Murcian does,” he said. “Looking at the numbers, I think Sinner is a little more reliable; he’s a little more solid.”
Alcaraz and Sinner appeared in three of the four Grand Slam finals in 2025 with Zverev the only other player to break that sequence as he lost against the Italian in last year’s Australian Open final.
But he won’t appear in the final of the season-opening major at Melbourne Park after losing in five sets against Alcaraz in the semi-final.
Toni Nadal feels the German is the man to challenge the top two, but says he has to “change some habits”.
“He’s the only one who could take on Alcaraz and Sinner, as long as he changes some habits in his game and his character,” the 64-year-old added.
