Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz spotted at Real Madrid's UCL game against Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz were spotted at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday watching Real Madrid's Champions League semifinal against Manchester City.
Madrid scored twice in the last six minutes to force extra time, where Karim Benzema's penalty dumped the English side out of the competition.
Djokovic, Nadal and Alcaraz all witnessed Madrid's sensational comeback in the second leg, hours after opening their respective Madrid Masters campaigns with wins. All three of them won in straight sets, with World No. 1 Djokovic beating Gael Monfils, Nadal taking out Miomir Kecmanovic and Alcaraz ousting Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Djokovic, a three-time Madrid champion, will next take on old foe Andy Murray while five-time champion Nadal will lock horns with David Goffin. Alcaraz will play Cameron Norrie before a possible blockbuster quarterfinal with Nadal.
With all three players placed in the same half of the draw, Djokovic could meet Alcaraz or Nadal in the last four.
How have Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz fared this year?
Rafael Nadal has made a blistering start to his 2022 campaign, winning 21 of 22 matches so far. He picked up titles in Melbourne, Acapulco, and the Australian Open to record a 20-0 start to the season. His unbeaten streak was finally snapped by American Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final.
The Spaniard was sidelined for over a month due to a rib injury, but returned to competitive tennis with a straight-sets win over Kecmanovic to move into the third round in Madrid.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz (24-3) has also had a sizzling start to the year. Either side of winning ATP 500 titles in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona, he lifted his maiden Masters 1000 crown in Miami. His Barcelona triumph made the 18-year-old the youngest top-10 debutant in nearly two decades (since Nadal in 2005).
Djokovic, on the other hand, has had a much quieter start to his campaign. He was not allowed to defend his title at the Australian Open and was barred from events in the United States due to his vaccination status.
Making his season debut in Dubai, he reached the quarterfinals where he lost to Jiri Vesely. He then suffered a shock second-round loss to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Monte Carlo.
Djokovic won three matches at his next stop in Belgrade but lost to Andrey Rublev in the final.