Rafael Nadal confident Carlos Alcaraz can overtake his 22 Slam tally, under 1 condition

Rafael Nadal believes that Carlos Alcaraz has it in him to surpass his own achievements, including his Major haul of 22 titles. However, according to him, the 22-year-old's ability to do so remains contingent on one crucial condition, his health.

Nadal recently sat down for an interview with El Larguero, during which the interviewer broached the subject of Alcaraz's future. The young Spaniard has positioned himself as one of the most dominant forces on the tour alongside Jannik Sinner.

Nadal stated he always saw Alcaraz as an extremely capable player. Considering the latter has already bagged six Major titles, his own record of 22 titles seems well within his reach at his current pace.

"I don’t tend to have high expectations, I’ve always seen him as very good, with the potential to make history in our sport. 22 Grand Slams? Why not? Six is already a lot and he has a spectacular trajectory," Nadal said (translated from Spanish).

However, Nadal emphasized Alcaraz's ability to script history will depend upon how his body holds up over the years. Recurring injuries can make a player doubt his own body, impeding further development.

"The most important thing is that he doesn’t get injured. If you don’t have injuries, I think you also don’t lose confidence in your body and that keeps you improving," he added.

Despite an injury-plagued career, Nadal carved his name in history. Alcaraz has already dealt with his fair share of injuries in his young career. However, the youngster is keeping pace with his older compatriot with respect to their accomplishments at the Majors at the same age.

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Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal's results at the Majors at similar ages are comparable

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal at the Six Kings Slam 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Rafael Nadal's belief that Carlos Alcaraz could surpass his Major total is backed by data. The 39-year-old had six Major titles to his name before his 23rd birthday. Alcaraz is currently 22 years old, and is sitting with six Major titles, with a potential to nab one more before he turns a year older in May 2026.

While their career trajectories are on par with respect to Grand Slam achievements, Nadal is ahead of Alcaraz when it comes to Masters 1000 trophies. The former had captured 15 titles at that level before he turned 23 years old, while the latter has eight Masters 1000 titles right now.

However, Alcaraz has time on his side and could ultimately match Nadal's tally of 36 Masters 1000 titles. He will first aim to complete a Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open 2026. If successful in his endeavor, he will pip Nadal as the youngest man to accomplish the feat.