Rafael Nadal will not play in the upcoming Davis Cup since he is still recovering from his foot injury. However, the Spanish sensation is elated for the fact that the Spanish team will have Carlos Alcaraz Garfia on board.
18-year-old from Murcia had a fantastic season that ended with him being ranked number 32. He won his maiden ATP title in Umag before conquering the Next-Gen finals demolishing everyone was standing in his way.
During a recent interview, Rafael Nadal expressed his happiness for having Carlos Alcaraz playing the Davis Cup. Rafa commented:
“We have a fantastic team. All of them will be prepared. It is also good that someone young like Carlos enters, who will bring energy. Unfortunately this year I cannot be there, but I will cheer from a distance. We have a competitive and compensated team so that can achieve a good result. “
Rafael Nadal in 2021
Ranked no.6, Rafael played his last match on the 5th of August when he lost to world no.31 Harris Lloyd 6-4 1-6 6-4 in the 3rd round in Washington (draw).
Presently, during this year the Spaniard has achieved a compiled 24-5 record. The Spaniard conquered 2 titles in 2021 in Barcelona and in Rome.
Carlos Alcaraz Garfia in 2021
Ranked no.32 (career-high), the Spaniard played his last match on the 13th of November when he defeated world no.41 Sebastian Korda 4-3(5) 4-2 4-2 in the final in the Next Gen ATP Finals to win his 1st career title.
This season Alcaraz Garfia has achieved a 48-19 win-loss record. Carlos conquered 2 titles in 2021 in the Oeiras 3 Challenger and in Umag.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz Garfia played each other only on 1 occasion. Their actual head to head record is 1-0 for Nadal. When they played, Rafael Nadal won 6-1 6-2 in the 2nd round in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) on the 5th of May 2021.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
