“Previously, I said that clay was my second favorite surface after fast courts, but now I’m not sure. I think now I’d say it’s my favorite,” Carlos Alcaraz said at Monte Carlo earlier this month. A fair chunk of Alcaraz’s titles have come on clay, but he’s still far from matching the legacy of his idol, Rafael Nadal. The King of Clay won 22 Grand Slam titles in his career, and 14 of them came at Roland Garros! Because of his Roland Garros accomplishments, Nadal’s extraordinary record at Monte Carlo and Barcelona never really received the attention it deserved. Alongside the record number of French Open titles, Nadal won 11 titles in Monte Carlo and 12 in Barcelona. He has a record 10 Monte Carlo-Barcelona doubles to his name! Can Alcaraz match that legacy? Well, his recent loss to Holger Rune in the final of the Barcelona Open proved that completing this double on clay consistently wouldn’t be as easy as Nadal made it look.
In 2024, Carlos Alcaraz was among those players who bemoaned the hectic schedule, stating he is often not motivated to compete at tournaments. Then, after clinching the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters, he highlighted his preference for one-week Masters 1000 tournaments over two-week events. “One-week tournaments are better. Some people might think that two weeks involve rest days, but that’s not the case. You train, you have to mentally prepare for the match, prepare for it… You’re not really resting,” the Spaniard said.
After his nine-match clay-court winning streak came to an end with a defeat at the hands of Rune, the Spaniard yet again highlighted the “demanding” nature of the sport, especially during the clay-court swing. Drawing Nadal’s heroics into the discussion, Alcaraz said, “Having played so many matches without a break is what it’s all about. I didn’t think about that, but I did know it would be tough and demanding. I had faith in playing good tennis, which I think I did. This is demanding; you have to give 100% every day. Playing in Monte Carlo and arriving in Barcelona with just a few days to spare is always complicated. I surrender at Rafa Nadal’s feet, what he did week after week. Something you have in your mind is how difficult it is.“
Alcaraz has always enjoyed a special relationship with Rafael Nadal. Highlighting more of that, he further added, “Rafa doesn’t give me advice; he’s written to me encouragingly, saying he hopes it’s nothing and that I’ll be at my best in Madrid. People, including me, even though I play tennis and know what it’s like, admire him, especially for this clay-court tour. You appreciate how difficult it is. Winning everything in a row is impossible. And you appreciate it even more when you experience it firsthand; it’s a bit crazy, yes.”
Carlos Alcaraz on Rafael Nadal’s ability to win consecutive clay court tournaments:
“Having played so many matches without rest is what he had. I didn’t think about that, but I did know it would be hard and demanding.
I had the faith of playing good tennis, which I think… pic.twitter.com/Cm3mNmXAOA
— Olly Tennis (@Olly_Tennis_) April 20, 2025
This was the second time in the span of a few days that Alcaraz hailed the excellence of the King of Clay. Just a few days ago, in an interview with MARCA, Carlitos was asked if he thinks Nadal’s accomplishments are unreachable, and he was quick to respond to that with absolute clarity. “Yes. What Rafa has done on clay is the greatest thing in sports, not just in tennis. Winning 14 Roland Garros titles, 11 times in Monte Carlo, including eight in a row—that’s unbelievable. Only people who are out of this world can achieve that,” Alcaraz said.
Does the tennis world agree with Alcaraz, though? Well, the former Spanish tennis player, Fernando Verdasco, also believes that it’s “almost impossible” for Alcaraz to win as many Grand Slams as Nadal. But according to another legend, Bjorn Borg, “I believe that Alcaraz will achieve the same or more than Nadal. He has the right mentality and can play on all surfaces. With a bit of luck, he will be the king of tennis.” Rafael Nadal has previously acknowledged the enormous potential of Carlos Alcaraz himself.
After missing out on the chance of completing the double at Monte Carlo-Barcelona, Alcaraz will now get a chance to yet again stamp his authority on the red dirt in Madrid. Is Alcaraz looking forward to it?
Despite injury concerns, Carlos Alcaraz is optimistic about his Madrid Open campaign
Carlos Alcaraz left the court on Sunday at the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell with a mixture of emotions. Although he was proud of himself for making it to two finals in two weeks, he was a bit disappointed as well for missing the chance of clinching back-to-back titles on European clay.
Fans were a bit concerned as Alcaraz took a Medical Time Out (MTO) after the opening three games of the second set against Rune. He was clearly struggling a bit with his movement, and couldn’t keep pace with the Dane. How serious is that injury, though?
Well, after the match, MARCA’s Joan Solsona confirmed that Alcaraz would undergo an MRI scan to examine his right leg’s adductor muscles. In fact, Barcelona Open’s official tournament doctor, Angel Ruiz Cotorro, was the one to identify that issue in Alcaraz’s right thigh during the MTO.
Speaking about his injury and his chances of getting back to full fitness levels before the Madrid Open, Alcaraz said, “The second set started off tough, with long rallies. There were two runs where I felt something in my right abductor or psoas muscle. If you feel discomfort, the alarm bells go off. It’s hard to stay focused on the game; you worry more about your physique and health, and I struggled to maintain my level. I think it’ll be two days of rest… We’re going to talk to my team, do tests, and I’m confident it won’t hurt me for Madrid.”
Alcaraz has won the title in Madrid twice before (2022,2023). Last year, he was defeated in the QF by Andrey Rublev. Do you think a fully fit Carlitos will make another deep run in Madrid this year? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The post “I Surrender”- Rafael Nadal’s Shadow Looms Large as Carlos Alcaraz Battles the Toll of the Clay Circuit appeared first on EssentiallySports.
