"I always wished to play in the Rafa Nadal court, against the best players of the world, I told myself one day I'll play there" - Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz has spoken of how he has "always wished" to play on Pista Rafael Nadal against the best players at the Barcelona Open. The Spaniard revealed that he told himself he would play on the court one day while competing at a junior event in Barcelona.
The Barcelona Open, which was founded in 1953, is held at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain. In 2017, the center court at the club was named Pista Rafael Nadal after the legendary Spaniard, who has won the Barcelona Open a record 12 times.
Alcaraz will face Kwon Soon-woo in the second round of the 2022 Barcelona Open ATP 500 tournament on Wednesday. The No. 5 seed could meet Nikoloz Basilashvili or Jaume Munar in the third round before a potential quarterfinal clash with top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
@bcnopenbs)Seed No.3 Félix Auger-Aliassime and No.5 Carlos Alcaraz playing mini tennis in Barcelona
(🎥 @bcnopenbs) https://t.co/y0rS6rDJc3
The 18-year-old featured at the ATP 500 tournament as a wildcard last year, losing to Frances Tiafoe in the opening round.
In an interview with Tennis TV, the World No. 11 recalled how he dreamed of playing on the main stadium court in Barcelona when he was younger.
"I played this tournament (Barcelona), the under 14, and I remember [watching] the matches, the players around the locker room," Alcaraz said. "Players, I mean, Rafa Nadal I saw playing here, [Roberto] Bautista [Agut], [Pablo] Carreno [Busta]. Yeah, I always wished to play in the Rafa Nadal court, to play against the best players of the world. And I remember [saying]: 'One day, one day I will play in there.'"
Alcaraz then discussed the experience of having the crowd behind him while competing in his home nation.
"Playing in Spain is always playing at home," Alcaraz continued. "Knowing that the people is supporting you is pretty amazing. It's important to have a good crowd, the people support you in tough moments in the matches. It's really important and I hope to feel the warm of the crowd in the first match here."
During the interview, the Miami Open champion was also asked to choose between clay and hardcourt.
"Tough question, but I would say hardcourt," Alcaraz replied.
Alcaraz was beaten in three sets by Sebastian Korda in his opening match at last week's Monte-Carlo Masters.
Rafael Nadal is not playing at the 2022 Barcelona Open
Rafael Nadal is not defending his title at this week's Barcelona Open, having withdrawn from the ATP 500 event. The Spaniard is recovering from a stress fracture in his rib, an injury that also forced him to miss last week's Monte-Carlo Masters.
The injury occurred during the third set of the Mallorcan's semifinal victory over Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells last month. The 35-year-old defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets in last year's Barcelona Open final to claim his 12th crown at the event.
These are the projected Quarterfinals of Barcelona Open 🔥
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Carlos Alcaraz could be a big match 💪
Which match are you looking forward to?
#BarcelonaOpen #StefanosTsitsipas #CarlosAlcaraz #CaperRuud #CameronNorrie #FelixAugerAliassime #DiegoSchwartzman https://t.co/UAgso40tbp