'Rafael Nadal wished me a happy birthday and encouraged me to work hard,' says..

The young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz has been one of the players to watch in the last couple of seasons, earning numerous age records for his 2003 generation. Under the close guidance of a former world no. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos has made fantastic progress through the ATP ranking list since the first Futures title in 2019 at 16, showing his full potential since August last year. The young gun claimed three Challenger titles in the closing stages of 2020, moving closer to the top-100 and setting eyes on big goals in 2021. Alcaraz kicked off the current season by passing the Australian Open qualifying round and scoring the first Major victory in Melbourne, as the youngest player since 2014.

Competing at home in Marbella on beloved clay, Carlos reached the semi-final and gathered momentum ahead of Madrid, where he beat Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 6-0 for the first Masters 1000 victory. In the second round, the youngster battled against his idol Rafael Nadal, celebrating the 18th birthday on the court in the match he would never forget! Rafa beat his young compatriot 6-1, 6-2 in an hour and 17 minutes, wishing him a happy birthday after the encounter and encouraging him to work even harder and chase his dreams. Rafa lost serve once and grabbed five breaks to control the scoreboard against the rival who experienced an early injury and couldn't play at his best.

Carlos Alcaraz explained what Rafael Nadal told him at the net in Madrid.

Carlos made a strong start in the first game and created a break chance that Rafa denied, avoiding an early setback. Nadal forced the rival's error in the second game to earn a break before Alcaraz experienced that injury a few minutes later. Rafa seized another break for a 4-0 advantage and held at love with a service winner at 5-1 to wrap up the opener in 36 minutes. Nadal opened a 3-0 lead in the second set before Alcaraz pulled one break back to reduce the deficit. Leaving that game behind him, Rafa placed a perfect return winner for a break at love in game five and crossed the finish line with a smash winner in game eight on his third match point. 

"It was amazing to spend my birthday playing against Rafael Nadal in front of the home crowd here in Madrid. It would have been better if I could win, but I enjoyed it anyway. I have learned a lot from him, and this match will help me grow as a player. I have to learn how to manage big points and deal with the rivals from the top. If I get a chance to play more matches like this one against Rafa, I should grow up faster and develop my skills. I'm thrilled to spend my birthday like this. Rafa and I didn't say anything before the match. When we finished, he wished me a happy birthday and encouraged me to continue working hard," Carlos Alcaraz said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3h9tFWA