"Carlos Alcaraz would perhaps be the Rafael Nadal of our generation, and the others behind him" - Daniel Rincon

Rising Spanish tennis star Daniel Rincon reckons that Carlos Alcaraz is like the current generation's Rafael Nadal of Spanish players, with everyone else, including himself, a step behind him.

Carlos Alcaraz first made his mark on the ATP Tour in 2021, where he began the year just ranked inside the top 150. He ended as the World No. 32, with his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open being the highlight of the season.

Alcaraz had his big breakthrough in 2022 when began the year ranked outside the top 30. He ended up winning five titles — one Grand Slam (US Open), two Masters 1000s, and two ATP 500s — and finished the year as the World No. 1.

This year has been just as good for Alcaraz, who has won six titles to date. These include Wimbledon Championships, Queen's Club Championships, Madrid Open, Barcelona Open, Indian Wells Masters, and Argentina Open.

Nadal, on the other hand, is one of the legends of the sport, with 22 Grand Slams, two Olympic gold medals, and a plethora of other titles to his name.

Meanwhile, Rincon, the 2021 US Open boys' singles champion, has said that there's more to Spanish tennis than the 2023 Wimbledon champion Alcaraz.

"I am one of those behind, but in Spanish tennis we have always had between five and ten players in the top-100. This is lucky. Maybe people take it as pressure, it seems like this is going to end, but it has to be the other way around: if we have had this all our lives, why won't it continue?" he said. (via puntodebreak)

"Pablo Llamas is doing very well, Davidovich is already there, I am here behind too, there are many other players within the top-300... it is a progression," he added.

The 20-year-old, who made his ATP Tour debut at the Barcelona Open this year, admitted that he and other Spaniards might not reach the heights of Carlos Alcaraz. However, this generation of Spanish tennis, like previous generations, will certainly have a strong group of capable players.

"Maybe we won't get there as fast as Carlos, maybe we won't get to where he is, but why not dream of being like the previous generation? Carlos would perhaps be the Rafa of our generation, and the others behind him," he opined.

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Carlos Alcaraz's China Open 2023 campaign ends after defeat to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals

Carlos Alcaraz in action at the 2023 China Open.

Carlos Alcaraz's China Open 2023 campaign ended on Tuesday, October 3. Jannik Sinner defeated the Spaniard 7-6(4), 6-1 in the semifinals to improve his head-to-head record to 4-3.

The match started with both players trading blows. Sinner trailed by a break twice in the opening set and had to fend off two break points to avoid trailing 3-0 early in the match.

The Italian won the first set in a tiebreak, began the second by getting an early break, and soon raced away to a 3-1 lead. Sinner then won four games in succession to seal victory.

In the final on Wednesday, Sinner will lock horns with Daniil Medvedev, after the Russian defeated Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-3 in the other semifinal.