Alcaraz sad to hear Nadal’s retirement news: “I’m going to miss you a lot”

Minutes after being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the ATP Shanghai Masters 1000 by Tomas Machac, Carlos Alcaraz spoke about another sad piece of news he received on Thursday - Rafa Nadal’s retirement.

The 21-year-old grew up admiring the Balearic player, who will put an end to his sporting career next month at the Davis Cup in Málaga, where he will form part of Spain’s team with Carlitos.

Alcaraz pays tribute to his boyhood hero Nadal

“From the child who watched you on television and dreamed of becoming a tennis player to the one who had the immense gift of playing alongside you at Roland Garros representing Spain in the Olympic Games! Thank you very much for being an example at all levels, your legacy is unrepeatable! I have enjoyed you very much and I will miss you very much when you leave after the Davis Cup, Rafa!” Alcaraz wrote on his social media.

Later, the four-time Grand Slam champion expanded on his words at the press conference following his defeat in Shanghai. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw it,” he said about the news he received moments before going out on court to play Machac. “It didn’t affect me at all in the match, it didn’t distract me and I was focused, without thinking about Rafa’s news,” he clarified.

“When I saw it, it was difficult to accept. I was a bit in shock. Thanks to the fact that I saw it an hour before the match, I had time to accept it and forget about it a bit before playing,” added Alcaraz, who would play next week, in the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), against Nadal if the Murcian beats Holger Rune in the quarter finals.

“It’s really tough news for everyone, and even tougher for me. He’s been my idol since I started playing tennis - I look up to him. Thanks to him I wanted to be a professional tennis player. Losing him in some way is going to be difficult for us, so I’ll try to enjoy it as much as I can when I go to play. We’re going to play in Saudi Arabia, and then the Davis Cup, so I’m going to try to enjoy the time with him as much as I can. It’s a shame for tennis and for me”, concluded Alcaraz, Rafa’s partner in the doubles at the Paris Olympics, where they crashed out in the quarter-finals to American pair Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

Alcaraz and Nadal have faced each other on three occasions, with a 2-1 balance in Rafa’s favour.

Machac ends Charly’s run in Shanghai

Alcaraz’s Asian tour, which also saw him win the title in Beijing, came to an end after his defeat to Machac. Despite the defeat, the player from El Palmar is very satisfied. “It’s been a good tour. Lifting the trophy in Beijing was a very good thing. And here, I’ve gone further than last year, so it’s a good point. I’m a little disappointed to lose today, I wanted to go further and play the semi-final against Sinner, but that’s tennis and I have to accept it. I love China and I’m proud of my performance here,” analysed Charly, who also valued his duel with the Czech. “I felt like I was playing against a top-5 rival, not even a top-10 in the world, his level was very high”.

He summarized: “I thought he was going to give me a chance, that he was going to open a window for me, but he didn’t. From the first game to the last, his level was very high. His ball speed was incredible. I feel good on the court, honestly, I feel the ball well, I hit it well and I moved well. But there was a point where I didn’t know what to do. It was one of those matches where it was crazy that I couldn’t play to his forehand. Every time I hit him with my forehand I was a winner. It was incredible, crazy for me”.

As for his future plans, he concluded, “Now I’m going to play the exhibition in Saudi Arabia, I’ll try to play well and forget the defeat. Then, the Masters 1000 in Paris, the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup, that’s my plan right now. I have to be focused on the next tournaments. I want to go far and get all the points I can to be close to Jannik.”