Rafael Nadal He is already in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open after defeating Carlos Alcaraz this Wednesday in a generational duel between the present and future of Spanish tennis. The Spaniard had a more comfortable match than it originally aimed to be (6-1 and 6-2 in one hour and 15 minutes) against the Murcian pearl, who suffered abdominal discomfort from the first set.
Nadal praised Alcaraz with undisguised affection at the end of the game and predicted a future for him on the circuit. “Today I had a difficult game against a young man who is very strong. He has enormous potential and he only needs a little time. I want to wish him the best, because apart from a great tennis player he is a boy who has clear things, values that society you need, “he assured. “More than anything in life, the most important thing for me is to be a good person,” he continued, and even allowed himself a joke: “I’ve lost myself, repeat,” he told Alex Corretja. “When you have the humility to be clear about what you have to improve while still being very successful, as is your case, that pushes you to want to be better, which is the essence of this sport,” he added.
He also valued his dynamics positively: “I think the victory in Barcelona helped me. Things have gradually got better. The training sessions here have been good.” And he thanked being able to have an audience in the stands again: “It’s a very special day. You don’t know what we’ve missed you. Playing any sport without you is losing a basic part. We are very grateful that you can be back. supporting our sport. “