Rafael Nadal can draw a silver lining from his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at the inaugural Netflix Slam in Los Vegas.
The exhibition event featured the former world No.1 playing his first competitive match in public since the first week of January after recently being sidelined from action due to a micro tear in his hip. Taking on compatriot Alcaraz, Nadal moved around the court with relative ease and didn’t show any indication of issues with his movement. Despite the promising signs, he was beaten 3-6, 6-4,(14-12), by his younger compatriot in front of a sellout crowd of more than 9000 people at the Michelob ULTRA Arena.
During the first set, Nadal said in a courtside interview that he was playing ‘much better than expected.‘ Coming into the event, the 22-time Grand Slam champion admitted that he was unsure of what form he is currently in.
“The main thing for me is stay more or less healthy,” he said.
“If that happens, then we can analyse (where) I am.
“I need to spend more time on the tour, at least to practice with the professional players even if not playing many official matches.
“That’s the important thing right now, is to be in rhythm again. I was not able to play the way I expected. I had to pull out from Doha, so let’s see.”
Besides rating his form, Nadal has praised Alcaraz’s rise in the sport. The 20-year-old has won two out of the last five Grand Slam tournaments he has played and has already topped the world rankings. Although he hasn’t won a tournament since Wimbledon last July.
“It’s a good thing that as a player I will not face him many times,” said Nadal.
“As a fan, I will enjoy watching him for many years hopefully.
“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 Grand Slams and a couple of important tournaments.”
The two Spanish tennis giants have locked horns three times on the Tour between 2021 and 2022. Twice they have clashed at the Madrid Open with Nadal winning their first meeting before Alcaraz won their second. Their other meeting was at the 2022 BNP Paribas Open which Nadal won in three sets.
“The way that he finds solutions when things are not going well, I think that’s incredible,” Alcaraz said of his rival.
“I would say that’s the most I learned from him and I try to put in my own game.”
Both players will now head to Indian Wells to play the first Masters 1000 tournament of the season. Nadal is unseeded in the draw and is scheduled to play his first match on Thursday. Meanwhile, Alcaraz is the second seed.
