Nadal is already at Melbourne Park. Rafa returned to the Australian Open for the first time since his retirement to experience an event honoring his career in which he assured that despite his shared history with Novak Djokovic, he will give his support for Carlos Alcaraz in the tournament final.
“First of all, it will be a pleasure to see the final live. Not being in a professional mindset for a while, the first thing I want is to enjoy a great battle and a great level of tennis again,” explained Nadal, excited about the decisive duel between Djokovic and Alcaraz.
However, he also recalled the shared history he has with Novak, current number four in the world, with whom he has “an incredible history” and whom he wishes “the best”, but he recalled that Carlos is Spanish and that makes his balance lean towards the Murcian. The champion of 22 Grand Slam titles did not hide his closeness with Carlitos, with whom he has shared recent experiences. “I have a good relationship with him, we share the Olympic Games, we share the Spanish team… If Novak wins, I will be happy for him because, in a way, what he is doing is spectacular. It wouldn’t be a drama for me, but If I have to support someone, I feel like I have to support Carlos“he noted.
Nadal, who won the title in Australia twice –2009 y 2022– Today marks four years since his historic victory in Melbourne against the Russian Daniil Medvedev in five sets. “What happened four years ago is in the past, I don’t tend to look back too far or live with nostalgia, but in the end I come here to enjoy from another point of view. What happened, happened, was very nice and now I am happily living another stage of my life,” he stated.
Regarding the semifinal between Alcaraz and the German Alexander Zverev, Nadal highlighted the emotional component of the match. “It was an exciting match, I think it had a little bit of everything. It had drama because of what happened to Carlos in the third set and then, as is logical in these situations, the cramps, if you manage to hold on for a long time, usually pass; they are sometimes tension cramps,” he analyzed. “In the end, the game had everything it needs to have for people to get involved, to generate emotions in our sport and in the people who are watching it,” he added.
The former world number one was confident in the Spaniard’s recovery after the long semi-final of almost five and a half hours. “I’m sure he will recover. Although it was a long battle, the other semi-final was not short either and with a player who is of a different age, so I think Carlos has even more chances of recovering better than Novak“he noted.
Nadal also reflected on the paths of the new generations. “Each one makes his own way, but in the end each one of us does what we can at all times. When what happened in 2009, he was very young and I suppose he wasn’t even aware of anything,” he said, referring to Alcaraz. “When you grow up watching what others do, as a child, you can be inspired, gain emotion and passion from what you have seen on television. It happened to me and I am convinced that it happens to Carlos too,” he said.
When talking about the legacy of his generation, Nadal was clear. “We have managed to make tennis seen as a sport that can be longer than it was. When I arrived on the circuit, at 28 or 29 years old you were a super veteran and you had to retire. This generation has given a twist to what it means to extend your professional career,” he explained.
Finally, he referred to Sinner, world number two, after his defeat against Djokovic the day before. “I think it was a tough match for Jannik, because he was the big favorite, but he was playing against a player with a very special history in this tournament. You learn from everything, from victories and defeats,” Nadal concluded, convinced that the Italian “is a very strong player mentally.”
