“I'm going to miss him” - Carlos Alcaraz discloses disappointment at not being able to "share the locker room" with Rafael Nadal at Laver Cup

Carlos Alcaraz admitted that he would miss his idol, Rafael Nadal, during the 2024 Laver Cup in Berlin. The 38-year-old pulled out of the three-day exhibition event and was replaced by Grigor Dimitrov.

On many occasions Alcaraz has expressed his love for the Spanish legend and also got to form a blockbuster dream doubles team with him at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The two were given the name 'Nadalcaraz' by the tennis fraternity and took the tennis world by storm. However, their dream run came to an end in the quarterfinals.

The two Spaniards were set to become teammates once again for Team Europe, however, the 22-time Major champion pulled out of the tournament as he felt that there were other players who could contribute more to the team than him.

During an interview with Marca ahead of the Laver Cup, Carlos Alcaraz said that he was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to share the locker room with his idol once again and admitted that he would miss him. He said that teaming up with Nadal was a unique experience and sent his best wishes to him.

"It would have been super special to repeat here in Berlin. When they gave the team and I saw that Rafa was coming, I was really excited to share the locker room with him once again. Here at the Laver Cup, we are all much closer together and it would have been a unique experience. I am going to miss him and I hope he returns to the courts soon when he feels well. I hope we meet at some tournament soon."

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"Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest in the history. For me he is my idol" - Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz watches Rafael Nadal on (Source: Getty)

Continuing his thoughts, Carlos Alcaraz called Rafael Nadal one of the greatest tennis players of all time and reiterated his love for the Spaniard. He said how he used to watch the 38-year-old as a kid and also tried to make the most of the time the two spent together during the Paris Olympics trying to learn from him.

The World No. 3 said that though he would miss Nadal, he was grateful for the opportunity he had with him at the Paris Olympics.

"Rafa is one of the greatest in the history of our sport. For me he is my idol, he is the one I watched the matches with when I was a child, I have tried to learn from him as much as I could during the time we were together. I will miss him in Berlin because it was a unique opportunity to continue learning from him. He has been a unique tennis player."

The Laver Cup is set to begin on the 20th September. Carlos Alcaraz will be joined by Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas as they try to take the Laver Cup back from Team World, which will feature Taylor Fritz, Alejandro Tabilo, Francisco Cerundolo, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Thanasi Kokkinakis.