Rising tennis superstar Carlos Alcaraz claimed Rafael Nadal has ‘1,000 lives’ ahead of his quarter-final match with the 21-time Grand Slam champion at the Madrid Open.
The 35-year-old has enjoyed a stunning start to 2022, going undefeated until he lost the Indian Wells final to Taylor Fritz after suffering a rib injury which sidelined him for just over a month. During his incredible run of form, Nadal won the Australian Open in January to stand alone as the most successful men’s tennis player in history.
The former world No.1 put in a sensational performance to secure a stunning comeback win over Daniil Medvedev in Melbourne and win the unprecedented 21st title. In his round-of-16 match-up against David Goffin in the Madrid tournament, Nadal looked set to suffer a loss but he managed to survive four match points to win a captivating three-set match to book his place in the quarter-finals.
Nadal will face Alcaraz in the last eight in the next step of the young Spaniard’s remarkable rise within the world of tennis. The 19-year-old - ranked ninth in the latest world rankings - needed three sets to defeat Briton Cameron Norrie in the third round.
Recently, Nadal spoke about how Alcaraz is better than him in some ways while he also commented on his rib issue that kept him out of training until last Thursday. While Friday's match represents perhaps Alcaraz's best chance to beat Nadal for the first time, the teen admitted he is wary of facing such a legendary talent.
“Honestly, I don't know,” Alcaraz conceded when asked if he knew how to defeat Nadal. “I always say he has a thousand lives. He survives in every match, in every tough match for him. I think if I have a really good game then I have chances to win.”
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Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic is preparing to face Hubert Hurkacz in his quarter-final at the Madrid Open after the Serb was denied a first clash with Andy Murray in five years due to the Briton contracting an illness. Fans around the world were undoubtedly excited to see Murray test his might against Djokovic.
The two men have known each other since they competed in their youth and have faced one other 36 times in their professional career - including seven Grand Slam finals. The two-time Wimbledon champion's withdrawal handed the Serb a free passage to the quarter-finals where he will face Hurkacz, who defeated Dusan Lajovic.
Djokovic beat Gael Monfils 6-3 6-2 in his second-round match. That was his 18th successive win over Monfils, the most by any player over another in the Open era.
