Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz said seeing Rafael Nadal win Madrid inspired him to one day come to Caja Magica and make it all the way. Alcaraz, 19, delivered a great week of tennis in Madrid as he captured his first Madrid title and his fourth crown of the season.
On Sunday, Alcaraz destroyed world No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-1 in the Madrid final. Before beating Zverev, Alcaraz defeated Nadal and Novak Djokovic in back-to-back matches to reach the final. “It feels great to be able to beat these players.
To beat two of the best players in history and then Zverev, the World No. 3. He is a great player. I would say this is the best week of my life,” Alcaraz said, per the ATP Tour website. “I am 19 years old, which I think is the key to be able to play long and tough matches in a row.
I am feeling great physically”.
Alcaraz beat his idol Nadal
Nadal, the greatest clay courter in tennis history, is a five-time champion in Madrid. In Madrid, Nadal kicked off his clay season. Nadal won his first two matches at the tournament before he was stopped by Alcaraz, who beat him in three sets.
“Watching Rafa lift this trophy gave me a lot of power to work hard for this moment,” Alcaraz added. “It is a great moment for me. It is the first tournament I watched, so lifting the trophy today is so emotional”.
Alcaraz has continued his stunning form in 2022 as he has now won four titles this year. Alcaraz has played four finals in 2022 and he has as many titles. Following his victory in Madrid, Alcaraz rose to a career-high ranking of No.
6 in the world. Alcaraz has already won at every level except the Grand Slam and he will be among top favorites for the French Open title.