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The former World No. 3 analyses the #NextGenATP Spaniard's game
Marin Cilic has faced plenty of rising stars during his career, and on Tuesday he battled another one in 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz. Although the former World No. 3 was able to secure a three-set victory in their first-round clash at the Millennium Estoril Open, the Croatian was impressed.

“He was fighting really hard. But I think that’s also a Spanish school of tennis. They are extremely disciplined, they play very hard, they are pushing themselves physically and you can see that he is also a hard worker,” Cilic said. “[Those] are great things for the sport and those things are going to help him to improve.”

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The 32-year-old believes that Alcaraz plays similarly to one of his mentors: World No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta, who trains at former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero’s academy. Fittingly, Ferrero is Alcaraz’s coach.

“I would say [Carlos’ game is] not too far from Pablo Carreno Busta’s just with the style, but I would say Carlos has just a bit [of a] better forehand and I would say Pablo has a better backhand,” Cilic said. “Being 17 and already with that kind of a game that he’s got, he’s going to be only improving with matches at this level. He will definitely have with more and more matches a better and better game and he’s going to be lifting up [his level].

“I think Juan Carlos is a great coach for him in that sense because I think Juan Carlos also played a similar game to his: great forehand, moving really well, very solid backhand, returning good. Definitely he can improve in some shots and parts of his game, but already he is looking like a pro player and playing really well at this level.”


Alcaraz is not the first #NextGenATP player Cilic has faced this year. The 18-time tour-level champion beat 19-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti in Miami.

“Lorenzo likes to play a little bit further away from the baseline, likes to open up the court, uses angles, has got really good touch. He’s got also a one-hander, plays the slice and I think clay is his favourite surface,” Cilic said. “I feel he’s just maybe half a step in front of Carlos. Carlos is just getting on the Tour [and he has] a bit [of a] different game.

“Carlos is playing more aggressive and also trying to attack, putting pressure on the opponent and I think both of those games that they have can improve a lot.”

Cilic will continue to pursue his first ATP Tour trophy since triumphing at The Queen’s Club in 2018 when he faces Portuguese qualifier Nuno Borges for a spot in the Estoril quarter-finals.

Spaniard earns maiden ATP Masters 1000 win
Carlos Alcaraz booked a dream Mutua Madrid Open second-round encounter against five-time champion Rafael Nadal on Monday.

The #NextGenATP Spaniard, who will celebrate his 18th birthday on Wednesday, ripped 19 forehand winners en route to a 6-4, 6-0 win against Adrian Mannarino. This is Alcaraz’s maiden ATP Masters 1000 victory in just his second event at the level. The 17-year-old made his Masters 1000 debut at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March (l. to Ruusuvuori).

“I am really, really happy. This is a special win for me here in Spain, here at La Caja Magica,” Alcaraz said in his post-match interview. “[To] win a Masters 1000 match here is amazing.”


The World No. 120 will meet Nadal for the first time in the second round. However, the pair has already shared some court time together this year. Alcaraz and Nadal met for a practice session ahead of this year’s Australian Open.

“For me, [to] play against Rafa is a dream come true,” Alcaraz said. “Since I was a kid, I wished to play a match against Rafa and now I will be able to here [on] the Centre Court of La Caja Magica in Madrid. It is a really special match against Rafa.”


Backed by a reduced home crowd inside Manolo Santana Stadium, Alcaraz rushed Mannarino in the early stages with depth on his groundstrokes and fired multiple forehand winners to race into a 2-0 lead. The Murcia native maintained his lead to serve for the first set at 5-4 and he converted his first set point with a crosscourt backhand winner.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/carl ... ew'>Carlos Alcaraz</a>
Graphic courtesy of Hawk-Eye Innovations/ATP Media
Alcaraz breezed through the second set to book his encounter against Nadal. The Spaniard continued to dictate rallies with aggressive forehands and showed great touch at the net to improve to 7-7 this season.

“I started the match a little bit nervous,” Alcaraz said. “I tried to play aggressive to get the nerves out and tried to enjoy playing here, in front of a big crowd in Madrid.”

Spanish teen to face top seed and childhood idol Nadal next
#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz made sure that his birthday bash will be one for the ages.

The teenager will turn 18 on Wednesday, and he will celebrate with a second-round meeting against Spanish legend and top seed Rafael Nadal at the Mutua Madrid Open.

"It's the best present for my birthday," Alcaraz told Tennis Channel, cracking a laugh. "It's a dream come true. To play against Rafa here in Madrid in front of the Spanish crowd, I will never forget this moment and I will learn from him."

“I don't know how to describe this feeling now,” he added. “It’s a dream come true.”

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In order to book the blockbuster clash against his childhood idol, Alcaraz had to go through Adrian Mannarino, a player sitting 86 spots higher in the FedEx ATP Rankings at No. 34. But Alcaraz got the job done in convincing style, blasting 19 forehand winners en route to a 6-4, 6-0 victory.

"They always say the 18th birthday is special, but it will be even more special to turn 18 playing against one of the best tennis players of all time, and the best for me,” Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference. “Rafa is one of my childhood idols. It's going to be very special.”

With his first ATP Masters 1000 victory, Alcaraz checked off a new milestone in a season full of firsts. He began 2021 by qualifying for his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open, where he claimed a victory in his main draw debut after impressing at the end of last season with back-to-back ATP Challenger Tour titles.


Alcaraz’s rapid rise has drawn comparisons to Nadal’s own ATP breakthrough as a teenager. In fact, the 17-year-old just became the youngest match winner in tournament history in Madrid – passing 18-year-old Nadal’s record in 2004.

"There will be many comparisons. I'm sure they'll talk about me and Rafa. They will compare the new generation with the legend,” Alcaraz said. “But I'll try to give my best. I have to play my game, try to keep improving and enjoy it. I'll stick with my feelings on court. I'll be nervous, but I'll try to play as relaxed as possible and give my absolute best.”

How To Watch

Alcaraz will aim to keep his nerves in check as he takes on Nadal inside Manolo Santana Stadium on Wednesday. The top seed will be going for his sixth Mutua Madrid Open title and arrived in the Spanish capital after winning his 87th tour-level title in Barcelona.

"I'm working to manage the nerves. In the difficult moments I try to be aggressive and play my style," Alcaraz said. "I'm improving step by step and these kinds of matches are helping me a lot to grow. I'll use each difficult moment that arises in matches to keep improving."

The match will be played on Alcaraz's 18th birthday
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will play a special match on Wednesday at the Mutua Madrid Open. On the Caja Mágica clay, the most intimidating court in the country, two generations of Spanish tennis will cross paths in what promises to be an unforgettable battle. On Alcaraz’s 18th birthday, the great hope of the next generation will experience a unique moment before the fans inside Manolo Santana Stadium.

Two Spanish former World No. 1s will be watching from the player boxes: Carlos Moyà, the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s coach, and Juan Carlos Ferrero, whose understudy is one of the biggest young talents on the ATP Tour, will oversee the highly anticipated match.

“It’s going to be a special match,” Moya admitted. “It is an encounter between the present, because Rafa is still the present and has been for many years, and the immediate future. I think that Alcaraz is going to be a great player. He’s already very good, although he’s still lacking that experience and he’s in the process of improving. It’s a natural generational succession."

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“To me it’s a generational clash” Ferrero said. “Rafa is very much alive, he’s playing at a very high standard, fighting for Grand Slams. I wouldn’t dare talk about a succession. It’s true that Carlos is the guy coming up the rear, not to replace anyone, but to try and do great things and play great matches. I don’t think any talk of Carlos succeeding Rafa is good for him. It’s added pressure for him. It’s of little use.

“I like to think that we have another very promising player. With his game and the way he handles things from match to match, his head-to-head with players, gives me confidence that he will be very good. But we have to take it step by step.”


How do you approach a match like that? How do you tackle the challenge? What preparations do you make for the difficulties a young man whose hunger knows no bounds may face?

“You go out on full alert,” Ferrero said. “Rafa already knows Carlos because we trained together in Australia. He had the chance to play a set and a half. He knows that Carlos is dangerous, he knows that he has to give it his all.

“Any active player is already familiar with a promising player when they come along, they study them. You know that he’s dangerous, but you also trust yourself. Rafa has the extra experience, which is more than enough to know how to play. Obviously he will think that Carlos is dangerous, but it is just another match for him.”

How To Watch

Moyà witnessed the arrival of the future king firsthand on the clay of Umag in 2003, when Nadal upset him at just 17 years old. Although the Mallorcan points out several differences between the two situations, there is certainly an interesting comparison to be made.

“I wasn’t Rafa in the sense that I didn’t have 20 Grand Slams. I didn’t have his ambition, his quality or his game. And Rafa was even younger than Alcaraz is. There was a significant difference; I knew Rafa well, we’d trained a lot together,” Moya said. “The respect that Alcaraz perhaps has for Rafa, since they haven’t shared many moments together — he hasn’t had contact with him — Rafa didn’t have that respect for me. We shared a lot of things and in that regard, I think that it is lost a little bit, spending time with someone, knowing them so well. But they are special matches for everyone. They are special matches in that there is extra pressure on both of them, and the one that handles it best will take the match.”


The fans have always supported Nadal at the Caja Mágica as if he were family and the Madrid faithful are now ready to show Alcaraz the same affection. It will be an opportunity to enjoy a special moment, the significance of which will only become apparent as the years pass.

“Rafa will not last forever, that’s life, unfortunately,” Moya said. “In a few years, I think Carlos will be one of the players in the fight for Grand Slams. Maybe they will meet in the final of a big tournament. Rafa has been at an extremely high level for many years and Carlos in one or two years may be perfectly ready to fight for those tournaments. But we’re in 2021, and at the moment, Rafa still has that experience and the game that we believe is good enough to fight for any tournament.”

“We know that Rafa is practically invincible on clay, but the biggest challenge will be trying to be stable mentally all the time,” Ferrero said of his pupil. “I think he has to make that his greatest strength tomorrow. We know that Rafa puts everything into every point. That’s what young players find the hardest, being 100 per cent focussed all the time. To him it’s a big motivation doing it here at home. His family is here and they haven’t seen him play for a long time. He’s very excited.”