Carlos Alcaraz has admitted that speaking with tennis legend Rafael Nadal, who he describes as his “idol” and “role model”, still makes him nervous.
The world No 2 believes that feeling nerves when he meets with Nadal is “something that’s impossible to pull out” even after speaking to him a lot of times.
Alcaraz has played Nadal three times, with the first matchup coming in the last 32 of the 2021 Madrid Open, where an inexperienced Alcaraz was crushed 6-1, 6-2.
The Spanish duo next faced off in the semi-finals of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters, and Nadal triumphed again – this time 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 – in a close and entertaining contest.
The pair then contested their third and most recent matchup in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open in 2023, with Alcaraz winning 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 to claim his first win against his legendary compatriot.
The two stars could renew their rivalry in 2024, with Nadal having returned to play his first event since the 2023 Australian Open at the Brisbane International earlier this month.
Nadal withdrew ahead of the 2024 Australian Open, which started on Sunday, due to a hip injury he suffered in his three-set quarter-final defeat to Jordan Thompson in Brisbane.
Prior to Brisbane, Nadal had not played a competitive singles match since losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of last year’s Australian Open due to a hip injury. The former world No 1 underwent arthroscopic surgery to treat the psoas muscle in his hip in June 2023.
Speaking at a charity match with Casper Ruud on Rod Laver Arena ahead of the Australian Open, Alcaraz was shown a picture of him with Nadal when he was 13 and was asked if he was nervous.
“He (Nadal) makes me nervous, obviously. I mean, I’ve met him a lot of times right now, but I still have nerves when I am speaking with him,” the Spaniard said.
“He’s my idol!”
Carlos Alcaraz gets nervous whenever he meets Rafa Nadal! #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/aZ05wWBFzv
“Yeah of course, he is my idol, he is my role model since I started playing tennis. So, I think the nerves will appear. It’s something that’s impossible to pull out.”
In a video shared by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) last year, Alcaraz discussed the players he idolised growing up and revealed Nadal was, and remains, his biggest hero.
“My hero was Rafael Nadal and it’s still Rafael Nadal. Since I started playing tennis, I look up to Rafa every time that I watch his matches,” the 20-year-old said.
“Of course I look up to Roger Federer, but it has always been Rafa. I’ve always watched tennis, you know the big things he has achieved, big matches he has played.
“Yeah, the first time I met him, I was 12 years old. It was in the Mutua Madrid Open, I was playing the under 12, and he was in the semi-final or something like that in the big one. And yeah, I took a photo with him and this was the first time that I was with him.”
Two-time major winner Alcaraz will face Richard Gasquet in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.
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