Rafael Nadal sends positive message to Carlos Alcaraz after Spaniard's Australian Open 1R win

Rafael Nadal has reacted to Carlos Alcaraz's first win during this year's edition of the Australian Open. Alcaraz had waited for the first Grand Slam tournament of the year in order to start his 2025 campaign. He easily beat Alexander Shevchenko to advance to the second round of the event.

Alcaraz is now getting ready to face Yoshihito Nishioka. The Japanese player defeated Aziz Dougaz before setting up a clash against the No. 3 player on the ATP Rankings. Alcaraz needs to win the Australian Open in order to complete his Career Grand Slam.

Carlos Alcaraz posted a picture of himself playing in Melbourne to celebrate his victory over Shevchenko. Nadal was quick to reply with some emojis depicting waving hands. The two players from Spain have been known to share a friendship from years, which is evident again from this interaction.

Rafael Nadal recently retired as professional tennis player, but the Spaniard found success at the Australian Open during his years as an active competitor. Nadal won the trophy in Melbourne on two occasions, in 2009 and in 2022. Besides this, he also reached the final on four occasions.

Rafael Nadal responds to an Instagram post from Carlos Alcaraz

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Can Carlos Alcaraz win the Australian Open?

TENNIS: JAN 13 Australian Open - Source: Getty

While it's true that Carlos Alcaraz only needs the elusive Australian Open to achieve the Career Grand Slam status, the player from Spain will have to get through a very complicated draw to be victorious in Melbourne. The section of the draw that features Alcaraz also includes Jack Draper and Sebastian Korda.

If Alcaraz manages to get through the first week of the tournament, he could face competitors such as Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz has managed to beat these players in the past. But even with a positive record against them, the pressure of getting close to a major achievement could play a factor for the Spaniard.

Last year's edition of the Australian Open saw Carlos Alcaraz losing against Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of the tournament. The player from Spain will need to get ready for a rematch if both stars manage to advance to the second week of the event.