Carlos Alcaraz to break into top 15 following Indian Wells run, accomplishes the feat at the same age as his idol Rafael Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz is projected to break into the top 15 of the ATP rankings on Monday following his incredible run at the Indian Wells Masters. The 18-year-old follows in the footsteps of his idol Rafael Nadal, who also cracked the top 15 at the age of 18 back in 2005. Interestingly, the two Spaniards will face off in the Indian Wells semifinals on Saturday.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated defending champion Cameron Norrie in the quarterfinals on Friday to set up a date with Rafael Nadal, who is currently on a 19-match winning streak.

Alcaraz's rise on the ATP tour has been one of spectacular proportions. The Spaniard was ranked 406th in the world when he registered his first ATP victory at the 2020 Rio Open. Two years later, he won the tournament and broke into the top 20 for the first time in his career.

The 18-year-old is guaranteed a top-15 spot in next week's rankings.

"I think he's unstoppable in terms of his career" - Rafael Nadal on Carlos Alcaraz

Rafael Nadal with Carlos Alcaraz at the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open

In a recent press conference after beating Nick Kyrgios, Nadal heaped huge praise on Alcaraz, stating that he has got "all the ingredients" to be a successful player in the future.

The World No. 4 also said he feels happy to see a player from his own country take the ATP tour by storm.

"I think he's unstoppable in terms of his career. He has all the ingredients. He has the passion. He has the, he's humble enough to work hard. No, he's a good guy. He remembers me a lot of things than when I was 17- or 18-years-old kid. I think he has the passion. He has the talent and the physical component, which is great," said Nadal.

"And I am super happy, even, of course it's going to be a great rival for now and for the next couple of months, without a doubt. But thinking and being selfish, it's great, honestly, to have such a star from my country, because we, for the tennis lovers, we're going to keep enjoy an amazing player fighting for the most important titles for the next, I don't know how many years, a lot of years," added the 21-time Grand Slam winner.