On March 5, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will renew their rivalry in an exhibition match in Las Vegas. The event will take place right before Indian Wells, which is scheduled to commence on the 6th of March.
The 36-year-old Nadal has won a men’s-record 22 Grand Slam tournaments, including two in 2022 at the Australian Open and French Open, and the 19-year-old Alcaraz won his first major championship at the U.S. Open in September. In this year’s ATP rankings, the two Spaniards placed first and second, with Alcaraz being the youngest player to do so and Nadal being the oldest. Since Americans Pete Sampras and Michael Chang in 1996, they are also the first pair of nationals to hold the top two spots in the men’s rankings.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2022
LWWWWWWWWW At the moment ranked no.1, the Spaniard played his last match on the 4th of November when he had to retire when playing against world no.11 Holger Rune in the quarter and the scoreline was 6-3 6-6 .
Currently, during this season Alcaraz owns a compiled 57-13 record. The Spaniard clinched 5 titles in 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Barcelona, Madrid and U.S. Open. Carlos got to the final in Hamburg and Umag.
Rafael Nadal in 2022
Now the world no.2, Nadal played his last match on the 17th of November when he overcame world no.3 Casper Ruud 7-5 7-5 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
Currently, during this season Rafael has a composed 39-8 win-loss record. Nadal conquered 4 titles in 2022 in Melbourne, Australian Open, Acapulco and French Open. Rafael got to the final in Indian Wells.
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal fought against each other 3 times. Their current head to head is 2-1 for Nadal. Previously, the last time they squared off, Carlos Alcaraz won 6-2 1-6 6-3 in the quarter in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) on the 6th of May 2022.
Here the video highlights.
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal |
| Embed from Getty Images |
