Alcaraz beats Nadal in super tiebreak in Netflix Slam

In a battle between the two biggest names in Spanish tennis, 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz defeated 37-year-old Rafael Nadal in ‘The Netflix Slam’ exhibition event in Las Vegas.

Nadal, who has played only one official tournament in the last 13 months due to a hip injury, won the first set 6-3 before Alcaraz came back to take the second 6-4. Alcaraz then let five match points slip, but eventually closed out the super tiebreak14-12 to win the match which was hosted by MGM Resorts International.

This was Nadal’s first match since the Brisbane event in early January following which he pulled out of the Australian Open. The 22-time Grand Slam champion will now head to Indian Wells, along with Alcaraz, for the BNP Paribas Open. Nadal is scheduled to play his first match there in the evening session on Thursday.

Alcaraz was playing for the first time since injuring his right ankle last month in the Rio Open, which forced him to pull out of that tournament.

Nadal was watched on by his wife and son, who caught the attention of tennis fans with the mini-racket that he was playing with while in the stands.

It’s a good thing that as a player I will not face him many times.

Nadal on facing Alcaraz

Speaking after the match on court, Nadal complimented his younger countryman, saying in a light-hearted manner that he was glad he would not be facing Alcaraz too many times as a player.

“It’s a good thing that as a player I will not face him many times. As a fan, I will enjoy watching him for many years hopefully! He’s a big challenge. It’s completely different generations. In Spain, we should be very, very happy about having someone like Carlos coming. He’s an amazing player. He’s only 20 years old and he’s already won two Slams and a couple of important tournaments.”

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