"I will not face him many times, but as a fan I will keep enjoying him": Rafael Nadal pleased to not rival Carlos Alcaraz for too long
ATP
Rafael Nadal lost out 6-3, 4-6, 12-14 to Carlos Alcaraz in the Netflix Slam on Sunday evening as the Spaniard found himself in a duel with the player seen by some as his successor.
Nadal spoke afterwards and was pleased to finally make it to Las Vegas after he was due to play last year, but had to withdraw due to injury. "It was great. I was supposed to be here last year; unfortunately, due to some issues, I was not able to be here, I enjoyed a lot. Congratulations to Carlos for a great match," he said during the trophy presentation.
"And on a personal level, yeah great. I was not able to play a lot for the last two years so to play here with Carlos in front of an amazing crowd in Las Vegas means a lot to me. Super happy,' he added.
But one aspect he is glad to not do is face Carlos Alcaraz continually, but he will enjoy him from an armchair going forward. "Well, first of all it's a big challenge. I mean, it's a completely different generation. I think in Spain, we should be very very happy about having somebody like Carlos coming. You know, he's an amazing player at only 20 years old," he said.
"Already, he won two Slams and couple of very important tournaments. So yeah, the good thing is, as a player, I will not face (him) many times, but as a fan, I will keep enjoying him for such a long time hopefully," he added.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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