Former Spanish tennis star Garbine Muguruza did not hold back when asked who she prefers out of compatriots Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal.
Garbine Muguruza prefers Carlos Alcaraz to Rafael Nadal (Image: Getty)
Tennis legend Garbine Muguruza controversially picked Carlos Alcaraz over Rafael Nadal when asked which of her fellow Spaniards she prefers.
Muguruza, born in Venezuela to a Spanish father and a Venezuelan mother, won the WTA Finals in 2021 before hanging up her racket in April this year. The 30-year-old – who is the only player to beat both Williams sisters in a Grand Slam final – knows a thing or two about winning majors, triumphing at Roland Garros in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2017.
She is therefore the perfect person to comment on her compatriots, with ongoing debates in recent times over whether fans prefer the 22-time Grand Slam legend Nadal or boy wonder Alcaraz, who at 21 has already blitzed his way to four Grand Slams. In personality, Nadal is revered for his humility while Alcaraz has gained fans for his less filtered approach.
Carlos Alcaraz [L] is Rafael Nadal’s successor (Image: Getty)
Muguruza perhaps surprisingly voiced her preference for the young talent over Nadal, believing Alcaraz’s style is more similar to that of herself. “There are moments when we think a lot about what we say, especially so that it doesn’t backfire,” Muguruza said in a recent interview with Esquire magazine.
“But I like to say what I think. Rafa is more reserved in that respect. I like Carlos, I see him more confident, younger, speaking more and saying what he thinks. And I believe people also appreciate that and not measuring your words so much.”
She went on to say about her own approach: “I don’t know why I’ve been labelled as rebellious and misunderstood. Maybe it’s because on the boys’ side it’s been very quiet thanks to Rafa.
“By showing a little more happiness or anger and not being so emotionless, I’ve been branded as a rebel, but I haven’t felt like that at all. I’m a very emotional person on court, you could see it on my face.”
Garbine Muguruza admits she was a very “emotional” tennis player (Image: Getty)
Nadal is currently in the twilight months of his career and is widely expected to retire at the end of the year. His last competitive singles match came at the Paris 2024 Olympics in late July, where he was dismantled by long-time rival Novak Djokovic.
The veteran, 38, also teamed up with Alcaraz for the Olympic doubles at Roland-Garros. The Spanish dream duo reached the quarter-finals, crashing out after losing to Team USA.
Nadal skipped the US Open due to not being 100% fit, but refused to rule out a final hurrah next year at Roland-Garros, where he has won the French Open a record 14 times. “Right now my goals for the year are over, I haven’t achieved what I would have liked to achieve,” he admitted this week.
