WATCH: Carlos Alcaraz's heartening "good luck" message to Andrey Rublev despite defeat in Madrid Open QF brings smile to Russian's face

Carlos Alcaraz won hearts with his recent act of sportsmanship with Andrey Rublev of Russia after their match on Wednesday (May 1). The duo faced off in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open where the Russian defeated the World No. 3 to reach the semifinals of the ATP Masters 1000 event.

This was only the second meeting between the duo, with Alcaraz emerging victorious in their last encounter. Following his win over the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Rublev will now face Taylor Fritz of the USA.

In a heartwarming video that surfaced online, Carlos Alcaraz was seen greeting Rublev at the net after their quarterfinals match. The Spaniard was full of praise for Rublev's impressive performance, especially Russian's serve and even wished him good.

"Well done Rublo, well played. Good serving man! Good luck," Carlos Alcaraz was quoted as saying.

After losing the first set 6-4, Rublev came back strongly to win the next two sets comprehensively with his power game, which Alcaraz was not able to handle. The Russian won the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the semifinals of the 2024 Madrid Open.

After his win, Rublev acknowledged that his impressive serves during the match saved him and explained his emotions during the match. Rublev said -

"I think the serve saved me a lot of times today, I think the key was I was completely calm the whole match," Rublev said. "I did not say one word, even if I was losing. That was the key and I was able to serve even better near the end. In the beginning, I was not serving that well but little by little, after set one, I served better and better and finished really well."

Carlos Alcaraz was undefeated at the Madrid Open for 14 consecutive matches before this loss. He also had the chance to become the first player to win the Madrid Open for three consecutive years.

Carlos Alcaraz reflects on his loss against Andrey Rublev at Madrid Open 2024

Carlos Alcaraz at the BNP Paribas Open 2024

Carlos Alcaraz has opened up after his shock loss to Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open.

Speaking to the press, Carlos Alcaraz reflected on his recent defeat to Russia's Andrey Rublev. He indicated that his tough Round of 16 match with Jan-Lennard-Struff affected his performance against Rublev. He also revealed that he faced Andrey Rublev while having a cold.

"It has been a difficult day for me. The long and intense match against Struff took its toll on me because it had been a while since I had competed at that level, and today I woke up with soreness all over my body and my forearm there. I also have a cold," Alcaraz said.

The World No. 3 was making his comeback to tennis with the 2024 Madrid Open, after missing the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open due to a wrist injury.