“I wouldn’t want Carlos Alcaraz to surpass Rafael Nadal” – Toni Nadal reveals whether he would agree to coach young Spaniard

Toni Nadal recently spoke about potentially becoming Carlos Alcaraz’s coach. The 64-year-old, who famously guided Rafael Nadal to 16 of his 22 Major titles, said even if Alcaraz asks him to become his coach, he would be hesitant about it because he wouldn’t want the young Spaniard to achieve more than his nephew.

Speaking to the Nude Project podcast, Toni Nadal hailed Alcaraz’s on-court abilities by highlighting the biggest strengths in the 22-year-old’s game. Despite still being so young, Alcaraz has already enjoyed a spell as World No. 1 and won 19 career singles titles, including four Grand Slams.

“Tennis-wise, I think he’s terrific. He does everything, and he does everything well. He’s the fastest, he has devastating shots, both forehand and backhand. On the serve, which is perhaps his least good, but I think he also has a good serve. He’s skilful. He fails a little sometimes, I don’t know if he’s distracted, or tactically, but he’s terrific,” Nadal told the Nude Project podcast.

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The veteran coach then went on to speak up about possibly coaching Carlos Alcaraz in the future.

"He certainly wouldn’t call me, he has enough good coaches. I don’t think he needs my help at all. And if he did call me, well, I wouldn’t want him to surpass Rafael, otherwise I’d have a problem," he added.

All of Alcaraz's title triumphs so far have come under the tutelage of Juan Carlos Ferrero, a former No. 1 who won 16 singles titles during his playing days, including the 2003 French Open.

Currently, both Alcaraz and Ferrero are in Paris for the former's campaign at the 2025 French Open. The 22-year-old is the defending champion in Paris and his latest outing saw him dominate an injury-stricken Tommy Paul to reach the semifinals of the clay Major.

Carlos Alcaraz to lock horns with Lorenzo Musetti in French Open semifinals; Spaniard enjoys significantly superior head-to-head lead over Italian

Carlos Alcaraz can reach the final at Roland Garros again if he comes out on top against Lorenzo Musetti in the pair's upcoming semifinal showdown on Friday, June 6.

The Spaniard reached the last four of the clay Major after victories against Giulio Zeppieri, Fabian Marozsan, Damir Dzumhur, Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul. Meanwhile, the Italian progressed to the semifinals with wins over Yannick Hanfmann, Daniel Elahi Galan, Mariano Navone, Holger Rune and Frances Tiafoe.

Alcaraz and Musetti have faced each other on six previous occasions, with the Spaniard having won five of them. The Italian's sole victory in the pair's head-to-head came way back in 2022 at Hamburg. They have already played each other twice this season.

Their first meeting of 2025 came in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, in which Alcaraz registered an emphatic comeback victory. The Spaniard earned a far more straightforward win over Musetti in the semifinals of the Italian Open. Alcaraz went on to win the titles at both Masters 1000 events.

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About the author

Sudipto Pati

Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

Sudipto has followed Tennis since the early 2000s and stays up-to-date with the sport by following both active and former Tennis players, and seasoned journalists. He also follows ATP and WTA updates, watches documentaries and interviews of professionals, and only reads esteemed publications. He sources all information for his articles only from credible publications stays away from unsubstantiated claims. In just a matter of 3 months, he has gained a readership of almost 2 million at Sportskeeda!

Sudipto admires Rafael Nadal for his fiercely competitive on-court nature and his ability to make memorable comebacks after injury layoffs. The Spaniard may be the GOAT for him, but he also respects the accomplishments of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Beyond Tennis, Sudipto also has an interest in music, football, and video games alongside cooking and traveling.

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