Rafa Nadal said goodbye to the Mutua Madrid Open this Friday. The Balearic fell in the quarterfinals (6-2, 1-6 and 6-3) against an extremely inspired Carlos Alcaraz who continues to show day after day that he is called to sit on the throne of world tennis in the medium and long term.
The battle between the two Spanish players was epic, full of strength, talent and emotion. “I have felt a lot of emotion, few players can say that they have beaten Rafa on clay and I am lucky to be one of them“Said the Murcian after the match.
For his part, Nadal assured that “this is an easy defeat to digest. In that sense we knew what we were coming for without removing any merit from Alcaraz”.
The Australian Open champion also wanted to congratulate his rival through social networks and thank the King for attending the match. “Thank you Majesty for your presence. Congratulations to Carlos for the match” he wrote in an Instagram post in which he also took the opportunity to wish Alcaraz “good luck for the rest of the tournament!!! Let’s win!”.
A great detail that once again demonstrates the off-court stature of the 13-time Roland Garros champion, who on the eve of the match He stated that Alcaraz “doesn’t have to look at me anymore, he’s already a star and he’s doing impressive things. I’m happy as a Spaniard and as a sports lover that we’re going to have such a special player in the near future. When you’re young and so good, the growth process is faster than normal people. He is not a normal boy, nor was Novak, Roger … and I suppose that I”.
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Alcaraz’s last hurdle to reach the grand final will be Novak Djokovicwhich is playing only its fourth tournament in Madrid, after Dubai and Montecarlo, with two early defeats, and Belgrade, where it reached the final.
On the ground he has physically sunk in long matches against Alejandro Davidovich (Monte Carlo) and Andrey Rublev (Belgrade). As an explanation, a disease that only revealed that it was not coronavirus, and the lack of filming in high competition.
The number 1 in the world praised, and a lot, Alcaraz in the previous one. “I think it’s fantastic that we have a young player who is doing so well and who is breathing new life into the world of tennis. His growth, his improvement and his trajectory, especially in the last six months, have been incredible.” he claimed.
