Carlos Alcaraz stated that he came into the game starstruck the first time he met Rafael Nadal and explained that playing against the 22-time Slam winner was somewhat a nightmare for him.
In Berlin on Thursday ahead of the Laver Cup, Alcaraz who is now in his 21 years of age shared his experience of locking horns with Nadal who is also his countryman.
“It was a huge thing when I played him for the first time,” explained the 3rd ranked male tennis player in the world. “The other times for me were kind of a nightmare.”
Alcaraz already has four Grand Slams, the youngest winner of such tournaments newer than US Open 2022, the same year Nadal holds the most recent major title French Open 2022.
Alcaraz left- many were prepared to see Nadal, 38, in the same playing grid with Alcaraz in Berlin. However, due to the fact that he is still struggling with injury, the player withdrew from the competition.
“Playing against Rafa is always tough. Every time for me it was a privilege to share the court,” said Alcaraz.
“I have always placed myself in the shoes of the player whom I was to beat.”
Some media sources speculated that it would be in the Laver Cup and not long in the future that we would see Nadal retiring as walking great Roger Federer did two years ago, but this should not happen yet.
It is for Team World and after this the first match is for Alcaraz and Team Europe, Zverev, with stylistic appropriate German and ‘dous Figur Gasser’ von Taylor Fritz-based Team World.
As he got ready for the home-ground match, Zverev had words of respect for Alcaraz. “It is already great to have a legend of our sport on court with me”
So far the two have been in nine matches in 2024 and have met thrice counting the French Open Brian-n which Alcaraz won through his perseverance in in five sets.
“I mean it’s nice to collect nice adjectives from my team, popularly saying that I’m a tennis great. But I avoid such thoughts,” he said warmly, restricting himself to the compliments which are quite abundant in the team.
“More than anything else, there are certain things that would make someone a legend in tennis, and that is what one gives to the game and how they are determined to take tennis out there and ensure that it can be heard in all regions of the world.”
“Your marketing strategy should be supplemented with the cult of the person who would be able to entice the biggest audiences, exaggeratedly, the ones who have never even held a tennis racket, for through you they watches [sic] it on T.V or they begin to play it themselves, and that is what makes you a legend other than the trophies you have in tournaments and other fame you have.”
Team Europe’s run in the competition, which began in 2017, lasted till winning all its first four editions, however Team World has been victorious in the last two competitions.
In addition to Xisca Perello and Osasuna who was an X-ray machine, among active players, the one being the humble age of the few grand slams in quite dominating US footplay is Alcaraz whose gross slams to date of players is much more numerous.
Team World captain John McEnroe, who this week calles Alcaraz “the biggest breath of fresh air we’ve had in the sport in 10 years,’’ said on Thursday that the emergence of a next generation of players meant the men’s game is in good hands.
“Lucky, we were able to enjoy the three greatest players who ever lived,” McEnroe said. (We thought) what’s gonna happen? And all of a sudden, things seem to be going rather well.
“We still have some life in our sport and this event assists that.”