The air in Madrid crackles with anticipation. Not just for the upcoming matches, but for a looming farewell. The whispers have grown louder, and young gun Carlos Alcaraz has ignited a firestorm of emotion with a heartfelt declaration. Refusing to contemplate a tour bereft of his idol, Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz has rallied the passionate Madrid crowd. “Not about the afterlife. but to live in the moment”.

When asked how does he imagine tennis without Rafa, Alcaraz commented– “I don’t want to imagine it yet. Like every fan of Rafa, of tennis, no one wants to imagine the circuit without Rafa.” Carlos further went on to speak how he wants to enjoy Rafa every time he takes on the court. “Personally speaking, I want to enjoy Rafa as much as possible, every time he enters the court, every time he can compete. Every time he can do it, I’m going to be there to enjoy it. That’s what we have to think about, not about the afterlife. but to live in the moment.”

Now fans who know Alcaraz will have an idea about the rising tennis star’s huge admiration for Nadal. Although the young Carlos took an inspiration from his father and started playing tennis at the age of four, his major idol growing up was Rafael Nadal. He has been admiring the now-22-time Grand Slam champion for his clay court dominance. “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.

Would the World Number 3 have imagined to play head to head against its “biggest hero”? The duo have faced off against each other three times on professional tours with Nadal leading 2-1. It’s worthy to note that two of these three H2Hs has been on outdoor clay. Alcaraz, who defeated Rafael Nadal at Netflix’s Tennis Slam’s second shared his interesting wish before Rafa’s retirement from the Tour.

Nadal greenlights dream doubles pairing with Alcaraz

Per ATPTour.com, on Friday, Nadal appeared on IGUALES, the Mutua Madrid Open’s official podcast, and spoke about a prospect where the duo might pair up for a fan-pleasing doubles match. Earlier the Spanish prodigy mentioned being hesitant about asking Nadal for appearing on the same side of the net. However, Nadal’s recent comments have allayed the fear of the 20-year-old.

“[Carlos] doesn’t have to ask me anything, all things being well, we’ll play, It’s also hugely exciting for me. If I’m not mistaken, I’ve heard it is for him too. So it would be great to play the odd tournament before the Olympics to prepare ourselves and to get some rapport on court I think if we’re both fit enough, why not? We could have the chance to form a great team and aspire to great things,” said Nadal of their Olympics doubles run.

Carlos Alcaraz’s statement showcased that he is an ardent Nadal fan. Like many other people who admire this Spanish tennis legend, Alcaraz is not in the mood for sadness owing to Rafa’s apparent retirement. This rising tennis star wishes to enjoy Nadal’s match as much as he can and enrich his mind with some unbelievable on-court moments from Nadal.