The trio Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal dominated men's tennis for 20 years.
Will the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, 21, be alone at the top in the future?
He's going to be one of the best in history, says his compatriot Nadal, who will play OS doubles with the 21-year-old.
When the Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal charmed the audience in Båstad last week and reached the final in the Swedish ATP tournament, the 38-year-old showered praise on Carlos Alcaraz.
We're talking about a player who's going to be one of the best in history. That's my feeling. He has enormous potential.
The 21-year-old Spaniard has already won four Grand Slam titles, two of which he has taken home this year. Recently, Alcaraz won on Wimbledon's grass for the second year in a row, and before that, he took his first title in the French Championships on Roland Garros clay. Two years ago, he won the US Open on hardcourt.
Always the favorite
I don't see many players who can stop him on the tour. He's the favorite going into every tournament, regardless of the surface. It was never like that in my generation, says Nadal.
First, Roger Federer broke through, then came Nadal, and finally Novak Djokovic. Since Federer's big breakthrough year in 2003 and up until 2023, the trio has taken 66 Grand Slam titles out of 83 possible.
I was probably a bit of a favorite on clay, on grass it was Roger, and on hardcourt it was a bit more evenly distributed. But no player was the favorite going into every tournament, but today it feels like he has that aura, says Nadal.
In the Paris OS, the 38-year-old will play singles but also doubles with Alcaraz, who is world number three in the singles ranking. The tournament will be decided on Roland Garros – where Nadal has taken 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.
Unseeded Alcaraz and Nadal will start on Saturday evening against the sixth-seeded Argentine pair Máximo González and Andrés Molteni.
New injury problems
The OS is the most important event for athletes in the world. It will be an honor to represent Spain and be part of a big team, says Rafael Nadal, who took OS gold in singles in 2008 and OS gold in doubles with Marc López in 2016.
The clay king from Mallorca sees the end of his career, but doesn't want to reveal when he will retire. The news may come after the OS.
In the days leading up to the tennis tournament in Paris, Nadal has had problems with a thigh injury that kept him out of training on Thursday. He was back in training on Friday.
The only thing that's certain is that I'll play the Laver Cup in September, says Rafael Nadal.
It was during the Laver Cup that the Swiss Roger Federer bid farewell to the tennis world in 2022.
