Watch: Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz practice together in Indian Wells
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz were seen practicing together at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden ahead of the first Masters tournament of the season.
The BNP Paribas Open's official Twitter page posted a video of the two Spaniards practicing with the caption reading: "the master and the student."
The master and the student 🇪🇸
@RafaelNadal x @alcarazcarlos03
#IndianWells https://t.co/BJx0s2VybW
A large crowd assembled to watch Nadal and Alcaraz practice in California. Nadal will be participating in the event for the first time since 2019 and crowds will be eager to watch the Spaniard in action.
Nice crowd to watch Nadal and Alcaraz practice at #IndianWells 🔥 https://t.co/XOjVj4usfY
Nadal also posted a picture of himself and Alcaraz on Instagram after their practice session. The Spanish pair have played against each other on one occasion in last year's Mutua Madrid Open, which Nadal won in straight sets. Alcaraz recently said he's looking forward to playing against Nadal and Djokovic, especially since he's a more mature player.
Nadal and Alcaraz are both competing at the Indian Wells Masters, with the former seeded fourth while the latter is the 19th seed.
Alcaraz received a bye to the second round and will face either Marton Fucsovics or Mackenzie McDonald. If he wins, there's a good chance of the Spaniard facing compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round. The teenager is in the same section as World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and there is a chance of both players meeting in the fourth round.
Alcaraz is among the finest talents in the game and has had a pretty good start to 2022. The Spaniard reached the third round of the Australian Open before losing to Matteo Berrettini in five sets. He then competed at the Rio Open and won it by beating Diego Schwartzman in the final.
Alcaraz helped Spain reach the Davis Cup Finals by beating Romania's Marius Copil in straight sets. Spain eventually won the tie 4-0.
Alcaraz is currently ranked 19th in the world and his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has said that the goal is for him to finish the year in the Top 15 at least.
"We have high goals for this year. But the main goal is still for him to gain a lot of experience and keep improving. But we would like to end the year at least in the top 15 in the world rankings. Midway through the season we might aim higher if we can take that positive momentum with us," said Ferrero.
Rafael Nadal is among the favorites to win the Indian Wells Masters
Nadal is one of the heavy favorites to win the Indian Wells Masters given his current run of form. The Spaniard has already won three titles this season, including the Australian Open. He has a 15-0 win-loss record so far and will be looking to win his fourth title this year in Indian Wells.
Tommy Haas, the chief of the Indian Wells Masters, has said that Nadal is the man to beat in the tournament.
“Rafa Nadal is now 35 years old and he’s never had a start to the season like this one, coming back from injury, winning three titles,” Haas said. He is, in my opinion, the guy to beat here, there is no doubt about it. And he obviously ejoys it very much here."