"I don't see any reason why he cannot win" - Rafael Nadal on Carlos Alcaraz's chances against Novak Djokovic in Madrid QF
Rafael Nadal believes Carlos Alcaraz has a good chance of toppling top seed Novak Djokovic in the Madrid Masters semifinals on Saturday.
Nadal, a five-time champion in the Spanish capital, lost to his 19-year-old compatriot in a three-set quarterfinal on Friday. The 35-year-old made a slow start, winning just two games in the opening set.
The legendary left-hander roared back into the contest, taking the second set 6-1 to force a decider. However, he couldn't ride his momentum as Alcaraz won the third 6-3 and closed out one of the biggest wins of his young career. He booked a semifinal showdown with Djokovic, who beat Hubert Hukacz 6-3, 6-4 in their quarterfinal.
When asked about Alcaraz's chances against the World No. 1, Nadal said that he was expecting a riveting battle.
"I don't know. I cannot predict the future. It's going to be a tough match. We are talking about one of the best players of the history against a young, still young at a very high level player."
Nadal added that Alcaraz would fancy his chances of beating Djokovic if he avoids the kind of letdown he endured in the quarterfinals.
"Carlos can win perfectly. I don't see any reason why he cannot win. It's true that he cannot have the downside that he had in the second set, talking about today's match, but, well, it's true that Carlos plays a lot with adrenaline, with momentum."
El día menos pensado...
Unos años después Carlos Alcaraz acabó ganando a su ídolo.
@alcarazcarlos03 | @ATPTour_ES | #MMOPEN https://t.co/P8JF7akaMo
"Carlos Alcaraz has the level to beat anyone in the world" - Rafael Nadal
Carlos Alcaraz has been one of the most in-form players this year. He has racked up titles in Rio de Janeiro, Miami and Barcelona over the past few months and has moved into the top 10 of the ATP rankings.
With his quarterfinal victory over Nadal in Madrid, Alcaraz is set to rise to World No. 6 next week.
Nadal opined that Alcaraz has a high-risk, high-reward style of play, which can be his own undoing at times. However, he believes that the 19-year-old has the level to compete against the world's best.
"When adrenaline goes up, he's practically unstoppable, but then in some moments he commits errors, but it's logical because he plays with a lot of risk. It's his way of playing, and in that sense I think he has the level to be able to beat anyone in the world. But what can happen tomorrow, we will see what happens tomorrow, I guess it depends on who plays better."
@alcarazcarlos03's win over Nadal #MMOPENA truly memorable match!
🇪🇸 @alcarazcarlos03's win over Nadal #MMOPEN https://t.co/mRy1jLnTBx
Alcaraz will meet Djokovic for the first time on Saturday.