"He's the heir apparent to Rafael Nadal because he's got all those intangible qualities that are so appealing" - Chris Evert on Carlos Alcaraz

Chris Evert believes Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz shares many similarities with Rafael Nadal and is the true "heir" to the 21-time Slam champion.

Alcaraz recently clinched his maiden Masters 1000 title by winning the Miami Open. His rapid rise has led to comparisons between him and Rafael Nadal, who also announced himself on the ATP tour in his teens.

Interestingly, Nadal is the only man to have beaten Alcaraz in the past couple months, having ousted his countryman in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters.

In a conversation with Eurosport, Chris Evert recalled the match at Indian Wells and the superlatives Nadal used to describe Alcaraz after the contest.

"When Alcaraz lost to Nadal in Indian Wells, Nadal was talking about him and he said he's humble, passionate and strong. After he said all these superlatives, I just said to myself: ‘wait, he's talking about himself,’ Chris Evert said.

As such, Evert had no qualms about describing Alcaraz as Nadal's natural successor, citing how the two share several positive traits, both intangible and palpable.

“And, sure enough, that's why he's the heir apparent to Nadal because he's got all those intangible qualities that are so appealing," Evert added. "Like being humble and being passionate, along with the physical tools, his movement and the fact that he has no weaknesses."

The American reckons Carlos Alcaraz is a complete player who can go on to win at least 10 Grand Slam titles.

“He's got the whole package and I know I'm just sounding like everyone else when I say he's going to win multiple Grand Slams, but he could be in the double digits in Grand Slams and become No. 1," she added. "There's just nothing preventing him in my eyes.”

"All great champions that had longevity like Federer, Nadal, Navratilova and Graf, had that belief" - Chris Evert on her expectations from Carlos Alcaraz

Chris Evert cited the examples of other greats such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Chris Evert believes Carlos Alcaraz has the "inner confidence and inner belief" that is needed for a player to become a Slam champion.

“I think having that inner confidence and inner belief in yourself is the quality of a champion and it's nothing but a good thing; because if he didn't have that, he might have doubts in his mind that would prevent him from winning a Grand Slam,” Evert explained.

The former World No. 1 pointed out how the greats of the game like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Steffi Graf, and Martina Navratilova, who dominated for decades on end, were fueled by their desire to triumph against all odds.

“All the great champions that had longevity - like [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal, Martina Navratilova, and Steffi Graf - have that belief and I think it's innate and I would not expect anything less," she continued. "I think that's one of the intangibles of a champion. We all see the tangible things like the power and the control and the stroke production."

According to Evert, intangible qualities such as inner belief are overlooked aspects of a person's game.

"The intangibles are harder to see, when you're watching a player. You don't know what they're thinking, or what they're feeling, but that is 50% of the whole package: the belief that they have and how they problem solve, and that's all as important as the toolbox that you have as a player," Evert added.