"Hard not to engage in the positive habits the greats show" – Tennis coach Roger Rasheed on Rafael Nadal's lasting impact on Carlos Alcaraz and Spanish tennis

Tennis coach Roger Rasheed has lauded Rafael Nadal’s lasting impact on Carlos Alcaraz and other Spanish tennis players.

Roger Rasheed, former coach of Lleyton Hewitt, Gael Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Grigor Dimitrov, recently responded to former World No. 1 Andy Roddick’s verdict that a new era had dawned with Carlos Alcaraz's US Open triumph. Rasheed seconded Roddick’s claim and credited Rafael Nadal for the spectacular "educational upbringing" of young players in Spain.

“100%. And what a great educational upbringing he and all the young Spanish players have had with Rafa ( plus a host of others superb role models ). It doesn’t mean all follow that path but it’s hard not to engage in the positive habits the greats show, and put them to good use,” he remarked.

With his 2022 US Open victory, Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest Grand Slam champion since Rafael Nadal lifted his first Grand Slam trophy at the 2005 French Open. 19-year-old Alcaraz also etched himself in history as the youngest men’s World No. 1.

As a young 13-year-old, the Murcian had revealed that he looked up to his older compatriot and wished to be like him.

"I want to be in the top-10, but you need to work for it. My idol's Rafa. I want to be like [Rafael Nadal] because he practices very hard and gives his all in matches and I want to be like him," a young Alcaraz said.

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Spanish tennis is prospering with the likes of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz

There have been many Spanish players who have graced the tennis courts on the biggest of stages

Carlos Alcaraz became the fourth player from Spain to be ranked World No. 1 after Carlos Moya (Nadal’s coach), Juan Carlos Ferrero (Alcaraz’s coach) and Rafael Nadal.

However, there have been many more Spanish players who have graced the tennis courts on the biggest of stages.

Currently, 10 Spaniards are ranked inside the top-100 of the ATP rankings. Pablo Carreno Busta, Roberto Bautista Agut, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Jaume Munar, Pedro Martinez, Roberto Carballes Baena, Bernabe Zapata Miralles along with World No. 1 Alcaraz and World No. 3 Nadal make the list of top ranked Spanish tennis players.

Spain have also found success at the Davis cup, accumulating six titles. The Davis Cup team is now set to compete for a seventh title in the coming week in Valencia. The team will include Alcaraz, Bautista Agut, Ramos-Vinolas, Martinez and Marcel Granollers.

Speaking about Carlos Alcaraz's fitness for the upcoming event, Spain’s Davis Cup captain Sergi Bruguera said that it is important that the US Open champion has time to recover.

"The week he has had is impressive, a lot of five-set matches, plus a great final. He is in spectacular shape, both physically and mentally, but the most important thing for us is that he comes to meet us on Tuesday and has time to recover,” he noted.

Alcaraz is scheduled to compete in the ATP 500 event in Nur Sultan after finishing his Davis Cup tie.

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