"It's nice to compare the similarities between these two, but as Alcaraz says, he is his own person, he's not looking to be Nadal part 2" - Chanda Rubin on Carlos Alcaraz 

Carlos Alcaraz has been making heads turn this year with incredible performances that have seen him win in Miami and Barcelona, earning praise from peers and tennis pundits alike.

His incredible run in Barcelona saw him beat the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur and Pablo Carreno Busta en route to the title. Alcaraz subsequently broke into the top 10 of the ATP rankings.

Speaking on the Tennis Channel, Chanda Rubin pointed out that it was only going to be a matter of time before Alcaraz broke into the top 10, given his rapid rise. She also addressed comparisons made between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, with Rubin stating that the teenager's maturity in recognizing the need to be his own person was fair and important.

"It just felt like a matter of time, especially with how he started the year, what we saw in Indian Wells, taking that same play into Miami, knew that he was shortly going to be into the top-10. It's nice to compare the similarities between these two, but as Alcaraz says, he is his own person, he's not looking to be Nadal part 2 and I think that is very fair and very different players in some ways but it is nice to be compared to one of the all-time greats in Rafa Nadal."

Chanda Rubin, during her career, had wins over the likes of Serena Williams and Martina Hingis and reached the Australian Open semifinals in 1996, that being her best result in a singles event while winning the tournament Down Under in the same year at the doubles event alongside Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.

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Carlos Alcaraz's 2022 season so far

Carlos Alacaraz with the Barcelona Open trophy

Carlos Alcaraz has been making waves with his incredible performances this year, winning his maiden ATP 500 and ATP 1000 Masters events in Rio and Miami respectively. The Spaniard came into the claycourt season with momentum and an abundance of confidence and has duly delivered.

After a setback at the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier this month in the shape of a tough loss to Sebastian Korda in the second round, Carlos Alcaraz reigned supreme in Barcelona. He beat the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex De Minaur and Pablo Carreno Busta en route to the trophy and will pose a serious threat in the rest of the claycourt tournaments this year, especially at the French Open.

The Spaniard has broken into the top 10 and with very few points to defend until the US hardcourt swing, he could find himself in the top 5 in a few months' time.