Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz’s newly unveiled mural in Madrid vandalized within days

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz's recently unveiled mural near La Caja Magica in Madrid was vandalized.

Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players in the world and has attained unparalleled numbers all over his career. His name is forever etched in the history of the sport and is also eternalized on several occasions. One such occasion came at the Madrid Open where he was paid tribute in grand fashion after his final dance came to a close.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz has also been piling up achievements. He has 13 ATP titles, including two Majors and five Masters, and is also a former World No. 1. What makes these numbers staggering is the fact that the Spaniard is just 20 years old.

The duo were recently honored with a mural at Fronton de San Fermin, a padel court in Madrid. The inspiration for this painting was when Alcaraz defeated Nadal in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Madrid Open.

The painting, created by street artist Salvatore Benintende, also has the 37-year-old holding a crown implying that he is bestowing the crown upon Alcaraz, the heir to the Spanish tennis throne.

However, the beautiful mural, honoring Spanish tennis' two extremely prominent figures, was completely destroyed in a deplorable act of vandalism. A user on X (formerly Twitter) shared a photo of the now-demolished mural.

Rafael Nadal faced Carlos Alcaraz at the Netflix Slam

The Spanish duo at the Netflix Slam

Rafael Nadal faced Carlos Alcaraz at the Netflix Slam earlier this year, with the latter winning 3-6, 6-4 [14-12].

The 37-year-old lauded Alcaraz during the trophy presentation of the tournament, expressing his delight on the Spaniard's rise.

"Well, first of all it's a big challenge. I mean, it's a completely different generation. I think in Spain, we should be very very happy about having somebody like Carlos coming. You know, he's an amazing player at only 20 years old," he said.

The 22-time Major champion continued by stating Alcaraz achievements and admitted that though he won't be playing the latter much, he would continue to enjoy him as a fan.

"Already, he won two Slams and couple of very important tournaments. So yeah, the good thing is, as a player, I will not face (him) many times, but as a fan, I will keep enjoying him for such a long time hopefully," he added.

The duo has competed three times on tour with Nadal leading their head-to-head 2-1.