Carlos Alcaraz gets emotional recalling Rafael Nadal's impact on his career
Carlos Alcaraz emotionally reflected on his idol, Rafael Nadal's, impact on his life and career, and remembered the 2024 Davis Cup finals where the latter announced retirement. Alcaraz has oftentimes been considered the player who would live up to the legendary Spaniard's legacy.
Carlos Alcaraz, who has one of the most promising career trajectories, came fresh off losing pole position at the Barcelona Open on April 20, 2025. Three days later, Netflix released a Spanish television documentary miniseries, chronicling his 2024 season. The four-time Grand Slam champion has achieved great success last year, winning silver at the Paris Olympics and the Roland Garros and Wimbledon titles.
However, towards the end of the season, he and his peers saw Spain lose in more than one way at the Davis Cup Finals. It was the final professional appearance of tennis luminary Rafael Nadal. He was also the person Carlos Alcaraz drew inspiration from since childhood. In his Netflix docuseries, the 21-year-old emotionally reflected on Nadal's impact on his life, saying:
"The person who inspired you to become a professional tennis player retires from tennis. I've asked a lot, I've learned many things from him. I've had the opportunity to just learn and make note of things and try to internalize it for my own career. But then, pretty quickly, I'd trade it all because of the gift I've had of mostly talking one-on-one. He spoke to me like a real friend." (Episode 3) (beginning 23:28)
Carlos Alcaraz entered the top 10 after his success at the 2022 Barcelona Open, becoming the youngest teen to attain the title since Nadal in 2005. The 21-year-old defeated the legendary Spaniard at the Madrid Open that year, becoming the only player to defeat the latter on the clay court.
Carlos Alcaraz officially withdrew from the 2025 Madrid Open
Alcaraz had an impressive campaign at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he trounced Lorenzo Musetti in two sets. However, he sustained an injury in the Barcelona Open finals and lost the title to Holger Rune. Having felt discomfort in his right abductor muscle, the Spaniard underwent an MRI and later posted hopeful updates about the Madrid Open.
However, in a recent press conference, he talked about a second injury to his left hamstring and shared that he didn't fully recover despite the best efforts of the team.
""During the Barcelona final, I hurt the adductor muscle in my right leg, but I also felt something in the hamstring of my left leg. We've tried everything to improve, but it hasn't been possible. We've discussed with the team whether he could play safely, but we have to listen to our bodies."
Carlos Alcaraz peaked at World No. 1 in the ATP rankings and concluded 2022 as the top-ranked player. His repertoire includes 18 ATP Tour-level singles titles among other accolades.