Nadal

Rafael Nadal lavished praise on Carlos Alcaraz ahead of their Madrid Open quarter-final clash on Friday afternoon.

"I think it's going to be different from last year [in Madrid] and the last match that we played [in Indian Wells]. I'm excited to play against Rafa here in Madrid in front of the Spanish crowd. I'm clear who, from the beginning, has advantage in tomorrow's match. He said: "Well, it's a very, very tough match, of course.

Rafael Nadal is downplaying his chances in his much anticipated Madrid Open quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz, the...

“I think he’s a player that’s going to give us a lot of good moments in the next, I don’t know, 10, 12 years, 14.” “If I had eight or 10 years less, perhaps if Carlos had reached 10 years ago this moment, we could be talking about a new potential rivalry,” Nadal said. “I think that today, he is better than me and he has a good dynamic, a good momentum,” Nadal said. "Even though he says that I’m the favorite, that he’s not fit enough, that he comes from an injury, you always have to think of Rafa as the favorite because he has already won here five times and all of the things he has achieved on clay. “I’m clear who, from the beginning, has some kind of advantage in tomorrow’s match,” Nadal said. “I think I am a very realistic person, and that doesn’t take me to not believe that I can win or that I can do it, but today I think that Alcaraz is in a better physical state of mind, is more fit.

MADRID (Reuters) -Rafa Nadal saved four match points to beat Belgian David Goffin 6-3 5-7 7-6(9) in an absorbing match on Thursday and move into the M...

Earlier, defending champion Alexander Zverev moved into the quarter-finals after Lorenzo Musetti was forced to retire due to a thigh injury when he was down 6-3 1-0. Playing only his second match after returning from a rib injury, Nadal looked rusty as he let his advantage slip when Goffin saved two match points in the second set, much to the shock of the home fans at the Manolo Santana Stadium. “Yesterday was an unforgettable night.

Rafa Nadal saved four match points to beat Belgian David Goffin 6-3 5-7 7-6(9) in an absorbing match on Thursday to move into the Madrid Open quarter-finals ...

For me today, in some way, it was an inspiration," Nadal said in a post-match interview with the ATP. "Yesterday was an unforgettable night. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Rafa Nadal said he will be the underdog when the 21-times Grand Slam champion faces teenager Carlos Alcaraz on Friday in a battle between the Spaniards in ...

As I already said, to be the best one you have to beat the best ones and the best. I'm clear who, from the beginning, has some kind of advantage in tomorrow's match." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Rafael Nadal seeks the fifth Caja Magica crown this week, entering his home Madrid Masters for the record-breaking 19th time. Rafa is back in action after ...

Rafa did not know whether to trust his body, but he played great in the opening set against Kecmanovic. Rafa beat Miomir in straight sets without knowing how his rib would feel. The home favorite had a 6-3, 5-3 lead against David Goffin before the Belgian bounced back to make it an epic encounter that lasted three hours and ten minutes! His backhand started to crack a bit in set number two, but he still served for the victory at 6-5.

An interaction with a reporter laid bare the toll a 21-year career has taken on Rafael Nadal's body, as the Spanish tennis star said he endures pain "every ...

That time out meant he was unable to compete at Wimbledon and the Olympics. "In the short therm, as I said, it's fine, but I'm also conscious for tomorrow. That's part of my life, and that's the downside of not being able to finish the match earlier.

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will meet for the third time on Friday in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open. The Spaniards first met at the ...

Only two of the top six doubles seeds are still standing in Madrid, and they will meet Friday on Stadium 3 as Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos take on Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. Granollers and Zeballos, the second seeds, took a Match Tie-break on Thursday to start their Madrid campaign with a win. Zverev leads Auger-Aliassime 4-2 in their ATP Head2Head, though Felix won their last meeting at the ATP Cup in January, an event Team Canada went on to win. He did not get a chance to win a fourth set after the retirement of Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev first met at the 2018 Intessa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals — a five-set win for the Greek — and have played three times in each of the past two years. Both Nadal and Alcaraz have won three tour-level titles in 2022, tying Rublev for the most trophies on the season. After looking sharp in an opening win against Gael Monfils, Djokovic advanced to the quarter-finals via a walkover against Andy Murray, who withdrew with illness. Djokovic leads the pair's ATPHead2Head 3-0, with one win on each surface. Alcaraz is 25-3 on the year, with one of those losses coming in three sets against Nadal in the Indian Wells semi-finals. Obviously I will have to focus on my defensive game a little bit more. Alcaraz celebrated his 19th birthday with a battling win over Cameron Norrie, making him the youngest Madrid quarter-finalist in the tournament's history. "Rafa is the best ever on clay. But Rafa is Rafa. The people love me more every day, but Rafa is much more famous.

This was only the second loss of the year for the all-time grand slam men's leader.

The 35-year-old then took some time off due to a stress fracture in his rib. Nadal has had a spectacular year so far, winning his first three tournament appearances including the Australian Open. That grand slam win solidified him as the all-time men’s leader in grand slams ahead of Djokovic and Roger Federer, who sit at 20 each. The teenager also moved up in the world rankings to No. 6.

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal met for the third time on Friday in Madrid, with the 19-year-old coming out on top. © Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour.

“You just recover that with days and with matches, like yesterday, like the first day, like today. “I just accept it naturally with calm and with security that there is a path to continue." When it comes to returning to Tour in style, Nadal is an expert, with his recent Australian Open triumph an example after he missed the second half of the 2021 season with a foot injury. “I said that before coming here it was going to be a tough week, even though I have lost to one of the fittest players of the world with no doubts, I even had my opportunities. “It's an easy loss to digest in that regard, because we knew what we could expect here, and now because of that, I don't take away any merit from Carlos. Congratulations to him. “The reading of the tournament is I have played three matches and that I came here with hardly any preparation, with no preparation.

Rafael Nadal graciously accepted defeat after losing to a teenager on clay for the first time in his Madrid Open quarter-final loss against Carlos Alcaraz.

"I have lost to one of the fittest players in the world, having my options as well.” "The reading is that I have played three games and arrived with zero preparation." The 21-time Grand Slam winner admits he will be unable to let the defeat pass him by easily though, saying: “In the end, I'm the one who has to do self-criticism and be clear about what I have to improve. I have to improve my ability to react, speed, dynamism, read and may my legs be with me,” he said. First of all, happy for him, he has been better than me in various facets of the game and I need to improve these days. It is an easy defeat to digest, we knew what we were coming here for and we have to congratulate Carlos, he is playing well and I wish him the best for the rest of the tournament."