Carlos Alcaraz says playing with Nadal is “something I will never forget” | ATP Tour

Cincinnati

Alcaraz says playing with Nadal is “something I will never forget”

The 21-year-old reflects on his experience with Nadal

August 12, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz returns to the Cincinnati Open a year after his memorable match against Novak Djokovic, which he lost in three hours and 49 minutes. This time, he has more experience under his belt.

The Spaniard brings to Mason valuable experience from the Paris Olympics, where he teamed up with Rafael Nadal in the men’s doubles. The pair lost in the quarter-finals to Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, who went on to win silver medals.

“It was a great experience, talking to Rafa off the court, getting to know each other a lot better off the court. It was a great experience, obviously, playing doubles together. It was great,” Alcaraz said during his Sunday press conference in Cincinnati. “It was something I’ll never forget, for sure. I learned a lot talking to him on the court and off the court as well. I think we played great tennis in doubles, even though we’re not used to playing doubles very often.”

“In the end it was a bit disappointing, because we thought we could do better, but overall we were happy. And obviously speaking for me, I achieved my dream, my dream came true, playing doubles alongside Rafa.”

Nadal has earned countless accolades in his career. The 38-year-old has spent 209 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has won 22 Grand Slams and 36 ATP Masters 1000 trophies. Alcaraz had the chance to get to know his compatriot in Paris and learn from all his experiences. Which piece of advice from Nadal helped him the most?

“How to deal with some situations playing doubles. Sometimes when we were down, he was there in a positive way, talking to me like, ‘Well, right now they’re going to feel [eso] “We have to stay there, hit some balls, try to put them in trouble,” Alcaraz said. “Some situations, some things that you probably don’t see, or it’s hard to see, he sees very, very clearly and off the court, how to prepare for difficult situations or games. It was a masterclass.”

Alcaraz claimed the silver medal in the singles, losing the gold medal match in two tie-breaks against Djokovic. Winner of Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, Alcaraz is keen to learn from that defeat in order to continue to aspire to and win the most important tournaments.

In Cincinnati, the second seed can complete his full collection of American Masters 1000 titles, after having already triumphed in Indian Wells and Miami.

“I always want to be better. I always think I could do better. Obviously, I had a great summer: Roland Garros, Wimbledon, silver at the Olympics. Obviously, I wanted the gold medal,” Alcaraz said. “After the matches, whether I win or lose, I like to find the bad things I did in the matches, try to be better, try in the next match not to make the same mistakes in shots or facing some situations. And that’s what happened.”

“That’s what I saw in the final in Paris, that I couldn’t handle the situations as well as I wanted to, and that’s what I was thinking after the match, just to be better, and probably be harder on myself.”