Rafael Nadal understands what it takes to become a legend in the sport. In that case, it’s advisable to pay attention and take notice when he praises someone’s achievements.
The great Spaniard battled through difficult conditions to defeat his young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in a thrilling semi-final match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Saturday afternoon. The 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion Alcaraz, who is still only 21, put on another spectacular performance, which belied his young age of 21.
Nadal emphasised the variety of the 18-year-game old’s during his post-match news conference as something that sticks out in particular.
“I think he’s got all the shots,” Nadal said after extending his unbeaten record in the year’s first half to 20 wins. “He has the ability to play really aggressively. Because he is really quick, he is capable of playing defence. He is capable of defending incredible balls. Because his ball has such excellent quality, it is really difficult to stop him when he is playing aggressively.
“I believe he have all of the necessary characteristics to become an outstanding champion.” I didn’t get any more scared before the game because I was playing a younger opponent. I approached it as if I were playing against a player from the top eight. That was my impression in terms of the overall level.”
Nadal recognises parallels of his own life in the way Alcaraz is dealing with the pressures of his meteoric climb. He has confidence in the young Spaniard’s ability to continue on his path to greatness.
“Everything is new when you are young, when you are experiencing new things for the first time,” stated Nadal. “When you are young, when you are experiencing new things for the first time, everything is new.” “You’re playing in stadiums, against opponents, and in events that you were only a year or two ago only watching on television,” says the coach.
“I believe you’re giddy with excitement. You’re driven by a strong sense of purpose. You have absolutely nothing to lose… He’s only getting started with this procedure.
“It appears that he is modest enough to put in the effort and understand that, if we, the tennis players, want to be great champions, the only way to do so is to keep growing throughout our entire careers,” says the coach. That’s exactly what I attempted. I have a strong suspicion that he is doing so.
“I don’t have many reservations about his potential. By the way, he’s already there!”
The level of Alcaraz’s play is such that his opponent changed his approach in order to give himself the greatest possible opportunity of defeating the World No. 19 in the process. It’s possible that Nadal’s volleying ability is underappreciated, but he stepped forward frequently on Saturday night to attempt to counter the Alcaraz game, winning 54 percent (20/37) of the points he received when coming forward, according to the Infosys ATP Stats. Despite the fact that the strategy did not always work out, the Spaniard was happy with how well it served him when it mattered the most.
“Today I did simple volleys, awful volleys, and really difficult volleys, wonderful volleys,” Nadal stated of his volleying performance. “Especially at the end, I was able to save some incredible balls with my volley.” I went in with a lot of aggression. [I was] bound and determined to do whatever it took to win the match.
“It’s fun for me to come into the net. I’ve been doing [it] more and more over the last couple of years. I’ve even increased the frequency with which I serve and volley… There’s something about it that seems right. It’s something that I absolutely must do. At this point in my career, I need to do things to make my game more aggressive, and that is a part of it. Going on the internet helps me with my overall game.”
Nadal will play home favourite Taylor Fritz in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 on Sunday, when he will be attempting to equal Novak Djokovic’s record of 37 ATP Masters 1000 titles. However, the Spaniard has been impressed with the 20th seed’s improvement in Indian Wells, having defeated him in the final of the 2020 Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC in Acapulco in straight sets in their only previous meeting in the tournament.
“We’re different types of players.” I don’t think [the Acapulco match] is really significant. I am prepared to take on a really difficult opponent while playing with incredible confidence. This is going to be a difficult match because he has been playing at an extremely high level since the beginning of the season.
Despite the hectic schedule that has resulted from his victory in 2022, Rafael Nadal is prepared to make another great push in the title match on Sunday. “Physically, I’m in good shape,” he stated. “I played for over three hours the previous day, and I played for three hours this morning. In terms of physical performance, I’m not feeling very exhausted.
“I was always in fantastic physical shape here because of the conditions. As far as I’m aware, I’ve never lost a match because of a physical condition, like as being exhausted. To be really honest, I’m doing fairly well. I’m not going to complain. I’m having a good time with it. Despite the fact that I’ve had a number of difficult battles this week, I’m still alive.”