Carlos Alcaraz was like baby Rafael Nadal: Ex-tennis player recalls incredible story
The Australian Open champion, Carlos Alcaraz, was just 14 when he first left a seasoned top-10 professional searching for answers. More than a decade later, Spain's Davis Cup captain David Ferrer believes that fleeting practice-court moment already carried unmistakable shades of a young Rafael Nadal.
Carlos Alcaraz was still only 14 when he first stunned an established top-10 professional. More than a decade on, Spain's Davis Cup captain David Ferrer believes that moment already carried echoes of Rafael Nadal.
After Carlos Alcaraz won his maiden Australian Open title to complete the Career Grand Slam, David Ferrer recalled an extraordinary and previously untold anecdote from their first training session together in 2014. Ferrer said the maturity, intensity, and fearlessness shown by the teenage Alcaraz left him stunned and reminded him instantly of a young Rafael Nadal.
Speaking to SER Deportivos Valencia, Ferrer explained how the session came together after a recommendation from former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, who was already convinced the Murcian teenager was special.
"When he was 14, I was already top 10 and Juan Carlos Ferrero told me, 'Hey, I've signed a player from Murcia and he's unbelievably good. I'm in Jvea, bring him over to Jvea and let him train with me.' I was very demanding with my training sessions, and I said, 'Don't waste my time, he's 14 years old and I want proper practice, I'm in preseason,'" Ferrer said.
What followed exceeded even those high expectations.
"I was left I was left speechless. I remember pushing him of course, when you're warming up and you start hitting the ball hard normally, a young player can't handle that from a pro. Carlos returns the first one, the second one too, and on the third he accelerates it.
"And you think what is this? It just blows your mind. He was like Rafa as a kid. Fourteen years old."
Ferrer then recalled playing a super tie-break with the teenager, a moment that further underlined Alcaraz's extraordinary level even at that age.
"We played a super tiebreak and I won 10-8, but I think he let me win because I swear he was very close to beating me. I think out of respect," Ferrer said.
For Ferrer, the similarities with Nadal went beyond shot-making and intensity.
"He's like Rafa but from a different background. Rafa is Mallorcan, he's from Murcia. But he's an incredible guy, not just as a tennis player, but as a person. Very normal, very natural. Always smiling. Very approachable," he added.
Alcaraz's precocity, which Ferrer first witnessed as a sceptical top-10 professional, has now translated into history. By lifting all four Grand Slam titles, the Spaniard has become the youngest player to complete a Career Grand Slam, offering fresh validation to Ferrer's belief that the teenager he faced in practice all those years ago was already something special.
Carlos Alcaraz was still only 14 when he first stunned an established top-10 professional. More than a decade on, Spain's Davis Cup captain David Ferrer believes that moment already carried echoes of Rafael Nadal.
After Carlos Alcaraz won his maiden Australian Open title to complete the Career Grand Slam, David Ferrer recalled an extraordinary and previously untold anecdote from their first training session together in 2014. Ferrer said the maturity, intensity, and fearlessness shown by the teenage Alcaraz left him stunned and reminded him instantly of a young Rafael Nadal.
Speaking to SER Deportivos Valencia, Ferrer explained how the session came together after a recommendation from former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, who was already convinced the Murcian teenager was special.
"When he was 14, I was already top 10 and Juan Carlos Ferrero told me, 'Hey, I've signed a player from Murcia and he's unbelievably good. I'm in Jvea, bring him over to Jvea and let him train with me.' I was very demanding with my training sessions, and I said, 'Don't waste my time, he's 14 years old and I want proper practice, I'm in preseason,'" Ferrer said.
What followed exceeded even those high expectations.
"I was left I was left speechless. I remember pushing him of course, when you're warming up and you start hitting the ball hard normally, a young player can't handle that from a pro. Carlos returns the first one, the second one too, and on the third he accelerates it.
"And you think what is this? It just blows your mind. He was like Rafa as a kid. Fourteen years old."
Ferrer then recalled playing a super tie-break with the teenager, a moment that further underlined Alcaraz's extraordinary level even at that age.
"We played a super tiebreak and I won 10-8, but I think he let me win because I swear he was very close to beating me. I think out of respect," Ferrer said.
For Ferrer, the similarities with Nadal went beyond shot-making and intensity.
"He's like Rafa but from a different background. Rafa is Mallorcan, he's from Murcia. But he's an incredible guy, not just as a tennis player, but as a person. Very normal, very natural. Always smiling. Very approachable," he added.
Alcaraz's precocity, which Ferrer first witnessed as a sceptical top-10 professional, has now translated into history. By lifting all four Grand Slam titles, the Spaniard has become the youngest player to complete a Career Grand Slam, offering fresh validation to Ferrer's belief that the teenager he faced in practice all those years ago was already something special.