“It was very nice to be with him” Carlos Alcaraz recalls his first meeting with Rafael Nadal
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Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal
Champion at the 2021 ATP NextGen Finals, Carlos Alcaraz is one of the most promising teenagers on the Tour and greater things are expected from the Spaniard who has already won a lot of hearts this season with his consistent performances across the surfaces to give a glimpse of what the future beholds.
Alcaraz’s playstyle has already earned him the nickname of the ‘Next Rafa Nadal’ but the teenager has maintained his stance of not comparing himself to the 20-time Grand Slam champion and has remained humble over the comparisons. Rafa has also acted as a mentor to his compatriot who was born 2 years after Nadal turned Pro.
As reported by Welovetennis.fr, recalling his first-ever meeting with Nadal, Alcaraz said, “The first time I saw Nadal, it was on the Rafa Nadal Tour, it was a trophy ceremony and I could hardly exchange a few words with him. But later, the first time I spoke with him, I immediately saw that he was a normal and ordinary guy, very close, it was very nice to be with him.
“If you didn’t know not who Rafa is, you would say he is a normal and ordinary person, I think that is what characterizes him, that he is close, humble and happy,” added Alcaraz who has also displayed a similar behaviour as his role model.
Carlos Alcaraz played Nadal on his 18th birthday at the Madrid Masters 2021
After Alcaraz made a good start to the season that saw him win on his Grand Slam debut at the 2021 Australian Open, his consistent performances saw him earn a wildcard at the 2021 Madrid Masters where he became the youngest match-winner when he defeated Adrian Mannarino days before his 18th birthday and broke Nadal’s record set in 2004.
He then played Rafa in the 2nd round but was humbled by Nadal 6-1, 6-2 with Nadal giving him quite a lot of advice before and after the game and also cut a cake together after the match was played out. 2 tournaments later, Alcaraz won his first-ever ATP title as he won the Croatia Open on Clay defeating Richard Gasquet to become the youngest tour-level champion since 2008.
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Sarthak Shitole
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