Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz has had a birthday to remember even if his match at the Madrid Open didn’t go entirely the way he wanted it to.
The 18-year-old rising star took to the Manolo Santana Stadium to play his idol Rafael Nadal for the first time on the ATP Tour. A 20-time Grand Slam champion who made his tournament debut back in 2003 which was the same year Alcaraz was born. Amid the hype generated by the Spanish press ahead of the match, the encounter turned out to be a Nadal one-way show as he strolled to a 6-1, 6-2, win in just 75 minutes.
It was only the second time Alcaraz has taken on a member of the top 10 after Alexander Zverev in Acapulco earlier this year. Despite the heavy loss, the teenager insisted that it was an ‘amazing’ present to play against and learn from the King of clay. Somebody whom he had previously had a hitting session with prior to their latest clash.
“The game, something better could have been done, but it is Rafa and playing against him the first time is not easy, not even when you have been there 100 times,” Alcaraz said in Spanish during his press conference.
The statistics of his match don’t show a good reading for Alcaraz but the numbers don’t always tell the full story. He won 37% of his service points and just 29% of his returns. Although he did break Nadal midway through the second set in what was a sort of mini victory for him.
“Playing against him (Nadal) is super special, to be able to learn from him on the court,” he said.
“Next time it will be totally different, I will know more or less how to play and how to go out on the court. This time, I was a little anxious to want to finish the points quickly and there was a moment when I did not know (forgot) that I had Rafa in front of me and he returned everything. Maybe I should have waited longer, but it has been a very beautiful experience and always I will take it with me.”
Alcaraz, who won three Challenger titles last season, can still exit Madrid with his head held high. His win over Adrian Mannarino in the first round made him the youngest player in history to have won a match in the tournament. A record previously held by Nadal.
“This has taught me to better handle the important moments and how to play in front of these types of players. These games like that, so tough, you have to learn how to play them. I think if I play more matches like this, it will help me grow faster,” he concluded.
Alcaraz is projected to rise up the rankings to around 114th in the world on Monday which be a new career high.