I think I’m ready to defeat him now – Juan Ferrero reveals when Carlos Alcaraz thought he was ready to beat Rafael Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz has taken the game by storm with his impressive play. The Spaniard has already won the Argentina Open and Indian Wells in the ongoing season. The youngster also won four ATP titles and a Grand Slam title in the previous season.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero revealed that his protege knew he could beat his idol Rafael Nadal after he lost against the veteran in the semifinals of the Indian Wells.

Alcaraz went on to not only beat Rafael Nadal but also defeated Novak Djokovic on clay in the Mutua Madrid Masters in 2022. The youngster defeated Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the final of the tournament.

Alcaraz created history by becoming the first player to beat Nadal and Djokovic in back-to-back matches on clay.

“After losing against Nadal at the Indian Wells in the semifinals Alcaraz came out of the court and said ‘I think I’m ready to defeat him now’. It was the first thing he told me after losing and then he beat Nadal and Djokovic in Madrid. As I mentioned previously, he has this ability to feel when he’s ready,” Ferrero said in an interview with Tennis Majors.

Alcaraz has been compared with the Big 3 since he has been taking giant strides on the tour. Ferrero shared his opinion on whether the youngster can go on to achieve big things in the sport.

“He does think super big. A lot of journalists ask me if he can win 22 Grand Slams. I don’t know. What I know is that he is able to do big things for tennis. Let him play and try. If he wins the second, we’ll ask him when will be the third. It will be a great pressure all the time. So can he do like the others did? I don’t know.”

Alcaraz has decided to withdraw from the upcoming Monte Carlo Masters.