"I learned about the fighting spirit, of never giving up" - Carlos Alcaraz on takeaways from Indian Wells loss to Rafael Nadal
Carlos Alcaraz has revealed that he learned plenty of lessons, including the importance of fighting for every point, from his loss to Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters earlier this year.
The 18-year-old reached his maiden Masters 1000 semifinal at Indian Wells, where he took on compatriot Nadal. Alcaraz lost the opener, but regrouped to force a decider. However, the 21-time Grand Slam winner proved too strong in the end, prevailing over his younger compatriot in little over three hours.
During an interaction on the Spanish chat show 'El Hormiguero', Alcaraz was asked about his takeaways from his loss to Nadal. The teenager said that he learned about Nadal's famed fighting spirit.
"I learned about the fighting spirit, of never giving up. Many people will have also seen the Australian match, he was losing and came back almost miraculously. From that match against him I get the fighting spirit, never give up and fight until the last ball," the Spaniard was quoted as saying by Punto de break.
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20-0 🤩
3-time champion @RafaelNadal defeats Alcaraz in 3 hours and 12 minutes to reach the final!
He'll face Taylor Fritz tomorrow...
#IndianWells https://t.co/Ie33BFjj9H
How do Carlos Alcaraz's achievements before his 19th birthday compare with Rafael Nadal's?
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal's careers share a few uncanny similarities. Nadal became one of the youngest players in the game's history to break into the top 10, doing so in 2005 at the age of 18. Alcaraz has followed suit, cracking the top 10 for the first time in his career earlier this week.
WELCOME TO THE TOP 10 CARLOS 🙌
@alcarazcarlos | #ATPRankings https://t.co/DMO7k6cnri
The Spaniard has won four titles in his career so far and has a perfect 4-0 record in championship matches. Nadal, on the other hand, went 3-1 in his first four finals.
Before turning 19, Nadal had racked up six singles titles, including two Masters 1000 crowns (Monte-Carlo and Rome). A week after his 19th birthday, the Spaniard won the first of his record 21 Grand Slam singles titles, beating Mariano Puerta in an all-leftie French Open final in 2005.
Alcaraz turns 19 next week, so he cannot add any more titles to his tally before his 19th birthday. Nevertheless, he is shaping up to be one of the game's all-time greats, just like his idol Nadal.