Rafael Nadal suffered just his second loss of 2022 on Friday to no one other than his fellow Spaniard superstar Carlos Alcaraz.
The 19-year-old beat the 21-time grand slam winner 6–2, 1–6, 6–3 in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open. Next, Alcaraz will face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. The teenager also moved up in the world rankings to No. 6.
To top off this major week for Alcaraz, he also celebrated his 19th birthday on Thursday. Nadal’s professional tennis career began before Alcaraz was even born. Alcaraz is the only teenager to beat Nadal on clay.
Many saw Alcaraz’s victory as a “passing of the torch” moment in tennis as the young players continue trying making their mark in the sport’s history books. Since Roger Federer won his first grand slam at Wimbledon in 2003, he, Nadal or Djokovic have won 61 of the 74 grand slam tournaments. Needless to say, the big three have ruled tennis for almost two decades.
Nadal has had a spectacular year so far, winning his first three tournament appearances including the Australian Open. That grand slam win solidified him as the all-time men’s leader in grand slams ahead of Djokovic and Roger Federer, who sit at 20 each. Nadal then reached the final of his fourth tournament, Indian Wells, before losing to American Taylor Fritz in the finals.
The 35-year-old then took some time off due to a stress fracture in his rib. It was unknown if he’d be back for clay season and the French Open, the grand slam tournament which he’s won 13 times. The Madrid Open was his return to the court following his month and a half break. This quarterfinal match marked the 99th ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal in his 21-year career.
