'I don't want to be called Rafa's successor - I'm Carlos Alcaraz'

Carlos Alcaraz has often said that Rafael Nadal was his childhood hero.

Numerous similarities have been drawn between the two Spaniards, with Alcaraz seen as the one to take over Nadal's mantle following his retirement.

However, the comparisons aren't always helpful.

"I don't want to be called Rafa's successor," Alcaraz says in a new documentary series on Netflix.

"I want to be called Carlos Alcaraz Garfia."

Nadal, a 22-time major winner who spent 209 weeks as world number one, agrees.

"When you're young and they're constantly comparing you to some professional that's been on the circuit for many years, there are times you get tired of hearing it," he said.

"This leads to an excess of pressure and in the end, I think it can distort your daily life and even confuse you."

Carlos Alcaraz: My Way follows the 21-year-old throughout his 2024 campaign, during which he defended his Wimbledon title and also won his first French Open trophy - the same major where Nadal was crowned a record 14 times.

Despite those successes, Alcaraz says he struggles to balance his professional and personal life.

"I guess right now my fear would be that tennis becomes an obligation," he says.

In one scene, Alcaraz talks tearfully about the moment he smashed his racquet after a second-round loss to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open.

"The fact of the matter is, I wasn't mentally strong enough to overcome all the stress," he says.

"I didn't know if I needed to quit or if I was losing my passion."

Alcaraz also speaks about the impact of his 2023 French Open semi-final defeat by Novak Djokovic, after which he decided to go on holiday to Ibiza.

"I wanted to go there basically to just get wasted," he says.

"I made the most of it because I knew I might not get another three days like that. When I got back, of course, I won Queen's and Wimbledon.

"I'm not saying partying helped me win, but taking that time off was good for me."

Alcaraz returned to Ibiza last year, against advice from his agent Albert Molina Lopez and coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Soon afterwards, his Queen's title defence was ended in the second round by Britain's Jack Draper - although Alcaraz went on to beat Djokovic in the Wimbledon final later that month.

"We all knew amongst ourselves that he shouldn't have gone to Ibiza," says Ferrero.

The former world number one, who previously coached Alexander Zverev, appears frustrated with his protege at times.

"We are here to create the greatest player because of his abilities and opportunities," he says. "But if he's not that determined, [if] he's OK with being ranked number 15 in the world, then we'll lower our expectations.

"But knowing the way I am, I think it would be very hard for me to keep working with him."

In the final scenes, Alcaraz wonders whether he has "the mindset" to "become the greatest player in history".

"Well, right now, I don't know," he says. "I'm still young, I have a lot ahead of me, but from what I've lived so far, I definitely prefer to put happiness before any kind of accomplishment.

"Being happy is an accomplishment and happiness isn't always easy to find."