Rafael Nadal is about to compete in the United Cup to defend the colours of Spain. Unfortunately, Carlos Alcaraz will not be part of the competition since the world number 1 will still be close to recovering from his recent abdominal injury.
During a recent interview with Marca, Rafa explained why Carlos Alcaraz is so good. According to Nadal, Alcaraz already has a very complete game, and he doesn’t really have any weaknesses. One of Alcaraz’s most remarkable qualities is his mental prowess; many people are astonished by the 19-year-mental old’s fortitude.
“Normally what makes someone so special is being very good, nothing else (Rafa laughs). When I say that he is special I mean that he is very fast, that he hits very hard, that he has a great drive and a great backhand and that he has the ability to be a great tennis player.”
Rafael Nadal in 2022
Ranked no.2, Rafael 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).
This year Rafael has managed to achieve a composed 39-8 win-loss record. Rafael has won 4 titles in 2022 in Melbourne, Australian Open, Acapulco and French Open. Rafael was the finalist in Indian Wells.
Nadal is scheduled to play next in Australian Open (Australian Open). He will start to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 16th of January.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2022
LWLLWLWWWW At the moment ranked no.1, Alcaraz 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 .
This season the Spaniard has managed to achieve an overall 57-13 win-loss record. The Spaniard has won 5 titles in 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Barcelona, Madrid and U.S. Open. Alcaraz reached the final in Hamburg and Umag.
Alcaraz is scheduled to compete next in Australian Open (Australian Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 16th of January.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz fought against each other 3 times. Their record is 2-1 for Nadal. The last time they played, Carlos Alcaraz won 6-2 1-6 6-3 in the quarter in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) on the 6th of May 2022.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz |
| Embed from Getty Images |
