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Nadal Alcaraz Madrid 2021
ATP Tennis Players, Carlos Alcaraz, Rafa Nadal, Tennis News, Tennis Tournaments

Carlos Alcaraz: I want Rafael Nadal to retire with a title


Carlos Alcaraz has been knocked out of the ATP Finals at the round-robin stage, with the Spaniard now looking ahead to partnering Rafael Nadal at his farewell tournament.

Alcaraz knew that he would likely need to beat Alexander Zverev to progress to the ATP Finals semi-finals, but was beaten in straight sets to seal his fate, with the aforementioned German and Casper Ruud advancing from the John Newcombe Group.

It has been very clear that Alcaraz has not been feeling his best in Turin, something that the 21-year-old spoke about in his post-match press conference.

“Well, it has been a difficult week, I guess, for me struggling with some physical problems, but at the same time it has been a really beautiful tournament,” said Alcaraz. “It is a privilege every time that I play this tournament, the best eight players of the world.

“I try to take the most of these matches. I will learn from this. I think I’ve played good tennis here this week. Today I faced one of the best players in the world, without a doubt, playing really solid and great tennis. I was there. Just a little bit disappointed, but happy anyway to have played this tournament once again.”

Although Alcaraz has recently spoken about the mental toll that the busy season has had on him, the World No.3 is not finished just yet with the Davis Cup Finals still to come.

The focus of this event will be on Alcaraz’s teammate and compatriot, Nadal, who will be ending his 23-year career in Malaga next week.

Nadal has won the Davis Cup on four previous occasions, and Alcaraz has revealed his goal to help his idol to one final triumph.

“It is the last tournament of the year for me, probably one of the most special tournaments that I’m going to play,” claimed Alcaraz. “Last tournament of Rafa, I’ll be able to be next to him in the last moments on a tennis court for him.”

Alcaraz continued, “The Davis Cup….is a tournament I really want to win one day. When I was a kid, I’d dream about winning the Davis Cup, for Spain. This year we have a really special chance to win it. I will try to help the team to win the Davis Cup for me.

“But I think it’s most important for Rafa, for his last tournament. I really want him to retire with a title. It’s going to be really, really emotional and a really special tournament for me.”

Spain will begin their Davis Cup Finals campaign on Tuesday against the Netherlands, in what could be the final day of Nadal’s decorated career.

Inside the baseline…

It was a tough week for Carlos Alcaraz, who was on the back foot after his opening round-robin defeat to Casper Ruud and faced an uphill task against a very in-form Alexander Zverev. That being said, it has still been another very impressive individual season for Alcaraz, who has won two Grand Slam titles, Indian Wells and an Olympic silver medal. Alcaraz now has the chance to help create the most phenomenal career ending for his idol Rafael Nadal in-front of the Spanish crowd in Malaga.

READ MORE – Davis Cup Finals 2024 ‘Final 8’: A guide to Rafael Nadal’s farewell

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Matthew Johns, Tennishead Writer, is a professional tennis journalist with a specialist degree in Sports Journalism. He's a keen tennis player having represented his local club and University plus he's also a qualified tennis coach. Matthew has a deep knowledge of tennis especially the ATP Tour and thrives on breaking big tennis news stories for Tennishead.