Carlos Alcaraz told he is currently doing something which Rafael Nadal 'never' did in his entire career

Carlos Alcaraz enjoyed another incredible year in 2024 as he continued to perform at the highest level.

He may not have finished the year as world number one, but there aren’t many players more talented on the ATP Tour than the 21-year-old Spaniard.

Alcaraz won the French Open for the first time in his career, earlier this year, before defending his Wimbledon title against Novak Djokovic.

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The Spaniard also came close to another huge title, as Alcaraz lost the Olympic final to Djokovic in Paris.

It was a great year for Alcaraz, who achieved such success without playing a full schedule, something that two former ATP stars have now given their thoughts on.

Steve Johnson thinks Carlos Alcaraz is skipping events Rafael Nadal ‘never’ did to reach 20 Slam titles

Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, former American star Steve Johnson compared Alcaraz’s schedule to that of Rafael Nadal’s.

“Looking back at Rafa’s [Nadal] career, someone I’m sure he looked up to quite a bit, he played every tournament and won every Masters series forever but was hurt a lot,” he said.

“I feel like Carlos [Alcaraz] is doing his schedule strictly to win Slams.

“He is missing Masters series, he skipped Madrid, or he’s not playing Montreal or whatever, I think his only goal is to win Slams.

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“I don’t think he or the rest of his team care about winning the [ATP] 250’s or whatever, the money is not the issue, I feel like he is only doing things to win Slams.

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“He wants to get to that 20 number.

“Maybe I am wrong on that but that is what it feels like his schedule is doing.

“He is missing certain events that Rafa never missed in his career but ultimately had a lot of injuries.”

Johnson’s co-host Isner disagreed as he suggested that the young Spaniard has only missed tournaments through injury at this stage in his career.

“I kind of disagree of you,” he said.

“I think once Carlos gets to 27 or 28 years old, he might pivot towards that.

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“He missed tournaments because he was hurt, I don’t know what ones off the top of my head, but I still think at such a young age he wants to stack as many titles as possible.

“He feels his body, he could play a bunch of matches in Indian Wells and Miami, and winning tournaments like Miami is still hugely important to him.

“In my mind, just because he is so young you want to keep stacking up those big events that the ATP Tour has.”

Has 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz played less tennis than 21-year-old Rafael Nadal?

Johnson seems to think that Alcaraz has played a shorter schedule than Nadal did when he was younger but is that really the case?

Alcaraz turned 21 during the 2024 season, while Nadal turned 21 in 2007, as both players took home the French Open title.

Season Tournaments played Grand Slams played Masters 1000s’ played ATP 500’s played ATP 250’s played Other events played Rafael Nadal – 2007 20 4 9 3 3 1 Carlos Alcaraz – 2024 18 4 6 3 1 4 Comparing Rafael Nadal’s 2007 season with Carlos Alcaraz’s 2024 season

Nadal technically only played two more tournaments than his compatriot at 21, but Alcaraz certainly played far fewer Masters 1000 events.

Alcaraz skipped Monte-Carlo and the Italian Open for the third time in four years in 2024, as well as missing out on the Canadian Open as he did in 2021.

Having now completed four full years on the ATP Tour, Alcaraz is yet to play a full Masters 1000 schedule, something that Nadal managed to do five times during his career, in spite of his many injuries.

That’s not to say Alcaraz is doing anything wrong, however, as the Spaniard won his fifth title at Master’s 1000 level in 2024, as he defended his Indian Wells crown against Daniil Medvedev.

To compare, Nadal had won his ninth Masters 1000 title upon the conclusion of his 2007 season, but had won three Grand Slam titles, one less than Alcaraz who has now won four at 21.

It’s impossible to say at such a young age, whether Alcaraz is doing the ‘right’ thing, or if he is even purposefully missing out on certain events, but what can’t be denied is that whatever he has been doing has been great to watch.

Alcaraz will get his 2025 season underway at the Australian Open which begins on January 12.

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