“Carlos Alcaraz reminds me a lot of what I was at his age” Rafael Nadal proud to see the teenager grow on the Tour
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Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz
World No. 4 Rafael Nadal continues his best start to a season as he extends his winning run to 19-unbeaten matches with Nick Kyrgios being the latest victim of Nadal’s dominant run. Up against the Australian in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters, Nadal won the match 7-6(0), 5-7, 6-4 to move into the semi-finals going for his 4th Indian Wells title.
After having dropped sets in his first match in the tournament in the second round, Nadal had picked up consecutive straight-set wins but an in-form Nick made life difficult for the Spaniard in a match that went on for nearly 3 hours before the 21-time Grand Slam champion emerged victorious in front of a packed crowd in the Tennis Paradise.
With a clash against fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals, Nadal spoke about his admiration for the teenager who is already breaking records at the age of 18 having won two career titles and becoming the youngest to break into the Top-20 overtaking the record held by Nadal previously.
Alcaraz is yet to drop a set at Indian Wells this year and has already become the second-youngest semi-finalist of the tournament after a certain Andre Agassi. “I think he’s unstoppable career-wise. He got all the ingredients: the passion, humbleness, talent and the physical. He’s a good guy. Reminds me a lot of what I was at his age.
“He is a rival in the present and it’s amazing to have another star from my country, cause we love tennis and will continue to enjoy an incredible player who fights for the most important titles for many years,” said Nadal during the press conference after his win over Kyrgios in the quarter-finals.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will clash for the second time
This will be the second meeting between the two players who previously met in the second round of the 2021 Madrid Masters on Alcaraz’s 18th birthday. While the teenager was unfortunate to lose the match in straight-sets, getting the chance to celebrate his birthday with a Tour match against his idol, it was a special occasion for him post which he has gone from strength to strength.
Carlos will play in his first Masters semi-finals while Nadal is looking to match Novak Djokovic‘s record of 37 Master titles and also become just the second man behind the Serbian to start a season with 20 wins with Novak having achieved the feat twice (41-0 in 2011 and 26-0 in 2020).
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Sarthak Shitole
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