Alcaraz complains that every opponent feels like Federer, Toni Nadal criticizes: attitude is wrong

Recently, Toni Nadal responded to Alcaraz's controversial remarks made at Indian Wells. The 22-year-old player stated he was "tired of feeling like he was playing against Federer every round," after which Toni Nadal delivered harsh criticism to the young player.

Alcaraz has been performing exceptionally well in the 2026 season, with the Spanish player having already won two titles this year. Last week, the seven-time Grand Slam champion joked that he felt like he had to face a "Federer-like opponent" in every round, saying, "Sometimes I just get tired of feeling like I'm playing Roger Federer every round. I feel like I'm the target, and I think they believe they can't win unless they play that kind of tennis—that's probably what they think."

Alcaraz's comments displeased many fans, and Toni Nadal recently shared his views on the matter. In the radio program "Radioestudio," he stated, "I completely disagree. It's not about being the target. When you face a stronger opponent, you know you must play more decisively."

Toni Nadal also added, "When you step onto the court, you clearly understand that you need to take more risks. It's not because the opponent is Alcaraz, but because the opponent knows Alcaraz is stronger. I'm sure Medvedev would also prefer to face someone else rather than Alcaraz or Sinner, but he knows that against them, he must fight harder."

At Indian Wells, Alcaraz defeated Grigor Dimitrov and Arthur Lindeknech in the first two rounds. The world number one then overcame Ruud and Norrie before losing to Medvedev in the semifinals, marking his first defeat of the 2026 season.

After concluding his run at the BNP Paribas Open, Alcaraz will move to the second leg of the Sunshine Double—the Miami Open. The Spanish player received a bye in the first round, but his next match could be challenging. Alcaraz will face the winner between Marozsan and Fonseca in the second round, with Fonseca being the favored contender to advance.

Last December, Alcaraz played an exhibition match against Fonseca at a baseball stadium in Miami. Three months later, they are likely to meet again, which would be Alcaraz's first encounter with the Brazilian star.

However, Fonseca must first defeat Marozsan, who beat him last year in Rome, to set up this highly anticipated match. The Brazilian player pushed Sinner into two tie-break sets in the fourth round at Indian Wells. Last year in Miami, Fonseca reached his first ATP 1000 Masters third round, defeating Humbert before ultimately losing to De Minaur.Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark