Nadal: “I’ll be ready anytime Alcaraz wants to call me”

‘Clash of generations’ can be the fitting phrase to describe an on-court battle between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal given the age difference of 17 years, however, it doesn’t define their story in entirety.

When it comes to style, Alcaraz certainly carries young Nadal’s explosiveness, agility, and bicep strength while also lacking potency in the serve. But what takes their case away from the very fabric of a generational divide the most has been their camaraderie on the court.

On the ATP Tour, the Spaniards have fought each other three times, seeing the soon-retiring veteran come out on top twice. They have had two more face-offs, namely the Netflix Slam and, more recently, the semi-final of the Six Kings Slam on Thursday, with Alcaraz prevailing on both unofficial occasions.

Their latest match-up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which also happens to be their final, saw the 21-year-old cruise to a 6-3, 6-3 victory. As per Alcaraz, his win wasn’t as straightforward as the score line might suggest.

“Trust me, I had to play at my best level,” Alcaraz, standing alongside the 22-time Grand Slam champion, said during the post-match interview. “Obviously, Rafa was out of the competition and in this sport, tennis, you have to have matches on the body just to feel good on the court but I knew I had to be focused trying to play my best if I want to beat Rafa. He’s always tough but it’s been a good moment and time sharing the court with him once again.”

It obviously wasn’t going to be easy for Nadal, who hasn’t competed against a Top 10 opponent since losing to Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympics in July, nonetheless, he was pleased with the outing.

“It has been a pleasure, Carlos was too good,” Nadal added. “He’s playing fantastic, the last few years, being better and better. And I think I tried. I haven’t been on the competitive stages since couple of months ago. So I think it was a good performance, even it was not enough to play against an animal like him. But it was a positive match for me and I’m happy.”

Alcaraz’s rise wouldn’t have come at a more perfect time for the tennis world. It synced en masse with the inevitable downfall of Nadal, broadly the Big Three. And the 22-time Grand Slam champion saw it coming.

The people were telling me that somebody very good is coming.”

Rafael Nadal

“When you’re in the world of tennis and somebody is coming from the same country as you and he’s winning, he’s special,” the 38-year-old added. “But I didn’t have the chance to play till I was practising with him in Australia, I think in 2021. Even if he was very young, you see the things that you don’t see in others and yeah, you can see now.”

Interestingly, the two players will be joining forces for national duty at the Davis Cup Final 8 — Nadal’s farewell tournament. This will be the duo’s second event together after Paris Olympics, where they reached as far as the quarter-finals in men’s doubles.

Their partnership at the Games witnessed Alcaraz operating under the guidance of Nadal, the two-time Olympic gold medallist. In the interview at Six Kings Slam, however, the former world No 1 noted the youngster is doing well by himself.

“I think he doesn’t need much advice,” Nadal added. “He’s showing everyone that he has a great team next to him and great family so I think, he gonna be going very well with what he has. He’s learning all the time and we can see that he’s evolving in every single way. But of course, I’ll be ready anytime he wants to call me.”

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