(Video) Carlos Alcaraz and his team get emotional while watching Rafael Nadal’s retirement video
Carlos Alcaraz watched his idol Rafael Nadal's retirement video an hour before his Shanghai Masters quarterfinals, which he lost.
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Carlos Alcaraz watched Rafael Nadal's retirement video before his Shanghai Masters quarterfinal match (Images via X)
Rafael Nadal will no longer be seen on courts playing matches after the Davis Cup, scheduled in November this season. On October 10th, Nadal shocked the tennis world by announcing his retirement through a video on his social media, which Carlos Alcaraz and his team watched before his quarterfinal match at the Shanghai Masters.
Nadal has been struggling with fitness problems for the past two years. Even though he has often made impressive comebacks following injuries one after the other, this time it is different. He is 38 currently, and he knows that his body may no longer support him to grind for hours on tennis courts.
Since he posted his retirement video, he has been receiving wishes from all corners. His longtime rivals, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic lauded him for an incredible career, while Alcaraz, who grew up watching his compatriot, called his retirement news a tough one to accept.
Alcaraz was in Shanghai when he heard the news, an hour before his match against Tomas Machac, where he was defeated in straight sets. There’s a video of Alcaraz and his team watching Nadal’s retirement video doing rounds on social media.
Watch the video here:
Alcaraz’s team getting emotional while watching Rafa’s retirement video ? pic.twitter.com/5jXVuzf2si
— Olly ??? (@Olly_Tennis_) October 10, 2024
Carlos Alcaraz revealed how he reacted when he heard about Rafael Nadal’s retirement for the first time
Rafael Nadal was last seen in action at the Paris Olympics when he played the doubles with Carlos Alcaraz. Their campaign ended when they lost in the quarterfinals. Both Alcaraz and Nadal will be there in Riyadh for the Six Kings Slam exhibition event, after which, both will play as teammates in Malaga for the Davis Cup. After Alcaraz’s Shanghai Open exit, he was asked about his first reaction when he got to know about Nadal’s retirement.
Well, it was, honestly, I couldn’t believe it when I watched it. You know, it didn’t affect me at all before the match. I didn’t get distracted at all, I was just really focused on the match, I didn’t think about Rafa’s news. But obviously, when I watched it, it was tough to accept it. I was in shock a little bit. Thanks to the fact that I saw it like one hour before the match, so I had time to accept it and forget it a little bit before the match.
Carlos Alcaraz said at the press conference
Nadal’s last singles match was against Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Paris Olympics, while on the ATP Tour, he last participated in the Swedish Open. He reached his first final of the season in Bastad but lost to Nuno Borges.
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Gouri Das
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