'I would steal the titles from Rafael Nadal', says Italian star

Impeccable and almost perfect has been the presentation of Rafael Nadal at the Caja Mágica in Madrid, who lived a unique and generational duel with the presentation before the call to be the generational replacement, Carlos Alcaraz, who turned 18 years playing against his idol in so important stage. Despite being a protégé of the 34-year-old left-hander, Nadal did not take his foot off the gas and dictated a tennis chair in his first presentation in the Spanish capital by winning 6-1 and 6-2 in an hour and 17 minutes of job. On his eighteenth birthday, Carlos Alcaraz had the honor and burden of facing his greatest idol, Rafael Nadal, for the first time in his career. The most exciting match of his life turned out to be even more difficult than expected due to a slight abdominal injury sustained during a magnificent exchange won with the muscles by Nadal at the beginning of the engagement. The young Spanish talent started off with courage and immediately had a chance to break the 20-time Grand Slam champion, but the forehand sent under the net lowered his expectations and added number one to Nadal's tally. The 20 Grand Slams champion conceded very little to the 2003-born player, who only won the sixth game, and took the first set alongside him. In the second set, things did not change and Nadal never lost his fighting spirit despite the clear advantage. Unlike the first part of the game, Alcaraz had the satisfaction of snatching the serve of the world number two in the fourth game by finding the lines with the forehand. However, Alcaraz left the court to applause; the one that in the future can give him great satisfaction and that also sang his birthday on a very emotional day.

Berrettini on Rafael Nadal

Matteo Berrettini recently laid down some of the attributes that he would like to imbibe from Rafael Nadal. During a Q&A session ahead of his Madrid opener, Berrettini talked about a variety of topics specific to the Masters 1000 event and Spain. "So any Spanish player? Um, Rafael Nadal..." Matteo Berrettini said. "I would steal the titles from Rafa. No, I'm joking." Matteo Berrettini then pointed out that Rafael Nadal's well-built physique, coupled with the fact that he plays left-handed, makes him an object of envy for many players. "The fact that he's so strong physically and also a lefty, I think it's a big weapon," Berrettini said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3nQtzET