Madrid (AFP)

This is one of the attractions of this start of the Australian Open against the backdrop of a pandemic: the young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, 17, has just won his first match in a Grand Slam tournament and is already being presented as the successor to his compatriot Rafael Nadal, world number 2.

"He has all the ingredients to become a great champion," said Nadal about Alcaraz, after training with him on Australian soil.

"He's very young, he's humble and a hard worker. I think his future can be bright, that he can become one of the best players in the world," added "Rafa".

One thing is certain, Alcaraz, trained and guided by Juan Carlos Ferrero, ephemeral world number 1 in 2003 after his victory at Roland Garros, already knows how to keep his feet on the ground.

"I'm new here, so I'm taking things as naturally as possible," he said after his first round victory over Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in three sets, 6-1, 6-4, 6- 4.

Confined on his arrival in Australia, because of positive cases for Covid-19 in his plane, Alcaraz clenched his fist at almost every point scored, and encouraged himself by using and abusing the returned "Vamos" famous by Nadal.

- Meteoric rise -

Aged 17 years and nine months, he is now the youngest Spaniard to start in Grand Slam with a victory ... since Nadal at Wimbledon in 2003, at 17 years and 20 days.

A native of El Palmar, in the south-east of Spain, Alcaraz is due to meet Swedish Mikael Ymer in the second round on Thursday, and is determined to continue his seduction operation in the small world of tennis after a year 2020 full of promise.

Less than a year ago, at 16, he scored his first victory on the professional circuit.

It was in Río de Janeiro against his compatriot Albert Ramos, shortly before winning his first Challenger tournament - the second division of world tennis - in Trieste, Italy.

In a single season truncated by the coronavirus pandemic, Alcaraz dropped from 492nd to 141st place in the ATP ranking and was voted revelation of the year.

- Nadal: "passion and intensity" -

"It's been a long time since we saw such a player," Ferrero told the daily El País last December, and he even added: "I would not like to be wrong, I think he will get to the top very quickly ".

Son of the director of the tennis school in his hometown, Alcaraz is comfortable on fast surfaces and loves to go to the net: "I attack a lot, it's true, and I try to vary my game, don't always do the same thing. I'm aggressive, "the rather lanky young man (1.85m and 72kg) told El País.

"He has intensity. He has passion. It all depends on his room for improvement, that's what will make the difference: he will be very good, that's for sure, but I would like to know if he's going to become an incredible champion, ”said Nadal after Alcaraz's successful debut in Melbourne.

Satisfied with what he has achieved so far, the young man is also inspired by the caution of his Mallorcan idol and recognizes that he still has work to do before reaching his next goals.

"My first goal is to finish the year 2021 in the 50 best players in the world. To get there, I'm going to have to train every day, be fully involved in what I do, and that's the path that I must follow to get there, "he told Onda Regional, the radio station in his native region.

© 2021 AFP