“I will text him,” Carlos Alcaraz seeks to draw advice from David Nalbandian ahead of his clash with Novak Djokovic


“I will text him,” Carlos Alcaraz seeks to draw advice from David Nalbandian ahead of his clash with Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic, David Nalbandian and Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz, 19, beat Rafael Nadal, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Madrid Open at Park Manzanares on Friday. The Young Turk entered the competition after winning the Barcelona Open last month, and he has continued his winning ways in Madrid. The first set was a one-sided event, with Alcaraz not allowing the 21-time Grand Slam winner much of a chance to take command. In the second set, though, Nadal displayed steely nerves and made a stunning comeback.

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Just as Carlos Alcaraz appeared to be losing his cool under pressure, he regained control of the situation. The third set was primarily about Nadal catching up. Alcaraz seized a 5-2 lead, putting Nadal on the defensive. But Nadal kept his serve intact to stay in the game. Alcaraz finally put the final nail in the coffin by holding his serve. Alcaraz broke Nadal four out of five times during the match, which proved to be the game’s deciding factor. On the other side, Nadal only converted three of nine breakpoints.

Alcaraz, who was born in El Palmar, beat Nadal with four aces, and despite three double faults, he didn’t lose anything. On Saturday, May 7, the rising star will face Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the tournament’s semi-final. Djokovic is coming off a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland. As far as Nadal is concerned, he made his comeback in the Madrid Open after recovering from the rib injury that he sustained back in March. Later this month, the veteran is also expected to take part in the French Open, a championship he has won 13 times.

Also Read: “I always say that Rafael Nadal has 1,000 lives – he’s dying and he survives in every tough match”- Carlos Alcaraz

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Carlos Alcaraz seeks advice from the former tennis star

Carlos Alcaraz | Tennis News | FirstSportz
Carlos Alcaraz

After defeating Nadal, Alcaraz quipped that he would text former Argentine star David Nalbandian for advice on how to beat Djokovic. Nalbandian is the only player in history to defeat the Big Three – Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer – in the same tournament. That happened to be at the 2007 Madrid Open (the tournament was played on indoor hard courts at the time).

“Of course, I’m focusing on tomorrow. I will text (David) Nalbandian to see how he did it. I will fight and let’s see what happens tomorrow,” joked Carlos Alcaraz, referring to Miomir Kecmanovic’s coach David Nalbandian.

Also Read: Watch: Rafael Nadal vs Carlos Alcaraz match stops after a spectator falls in the stands, medics rush to help

Also Read: WATCH: Rafael Nadal’s heartful gesture towards Carlos Alcaraz after the 19-year-old collapses on the court

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