21-time Grand Slam legend Rafael Nadal has heaped praise on teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz saying he has all the ingredients to “become a huge star”.

The 18-year-old has been in incredible form this season having already won four tournaments, including recording breaking title wins at the Rio Open in February as well as at the Miami Masters last month.

The young Spaniard tasted even more success last week as he claimed the Barcelona Open title this week – his first tournament win in his home country on the ATP tour.

As a result, Carlos Alcaraz has a 23-3 record in 2022 and has even broken into the top ten of the ATP rankings for the first time, reaching ninth in the rankings.

Despite his current position, Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal has argued that Carlos Alcaraz can reach even higher levels in the game, stating he has the ability to reach the world number one spot as well as become a serial Grand Slam winner.

Speaking exclusively to Eurosport, Nadal told reporters, “As everybody knows it’s amazing. He’s a big candidate to win a lot of Grand Slams and become the number one player in the world.

“What he is doing is fantastic so well done for him and I wish him all the very best. He is doing a lot of things similar to me.

“He is young, he has the passion and the energy. He has every single thing to become a huge star.

“I’m like a Spanish spectator, personally I’m happy to have someone like him to stay on the tour for a long time and achieve a lot of things.”

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