Nadal relieved he won’t face Alcaraz often after exhibition defeat

Bengaluru — Rafa Nadal said one good thing about nearing the end of his career is that he will not have to face Carlos Alcaraz too many times after the 37-year-old Spaniard lost to his compatriot in an exhibition match in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles, added that the future of Spanish tennis was in good hands with the 20-year-old. Alcaraz has already won Majors at the US Open and Wimbledon and is ranked No 2 in the world behind Novak Djokovic.

“It’s a good thing that as a player I will not face him many times,” said Nadal, who expects to retire in 2024 after a series of injuries limited his appearances on the circuit. “As a fan, I will enjoy watching him for many years hopefully.

“In Spain, we should be very happy about having someone like Carlos coming. He’s an amazing player. He’s only 20 years old and he’s already won two Grand Slams and a couple of important tournaments.”

Nadal and Alcaraz are next in action at the Masters tournament at Indian Wells.

Nadal, who spent almost a year on the sidelines with a hip flexor injury before suffering a muscle injury at the start of this season, said he felt “much better than expected” during the exhibition match. He hopes to avoid any injury setbacks at Indian Wells so that he can be fully fit for the upcoming clay court season in what could be his final year on the ATP Tour.

The 37-year-old, who has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles on the red clay of Roland Garros, has suggested his career could be coming to a close and missed this year’s Australian Open due to pain in his surgically repaired hip.

“The priority is to try to get out of Indian Wells unscathed,” Nadal said. “Whatever has to be left, leave it in the clay season, which may or may not be the last, I have not decided 100%. At the moment things are going that way.”

“I’m not saying goodbye because then I’d say I’m not playing anymore. This is an important point and I don’t want to say it because I’m not 100% clear about it. In the last two years, I haven’t been able to play. Life is showing you the path.”

Former world No 1 Nadal is a three-time Indian Wells champion and plays his first-round match on Thursday at the tournament in the Southern California desert.

Reuters