"When I played against Rafael Nadal the first time, was a nightmare" - Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz recently described his experience of facing Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz is currently in Berlin for the 2024 Laver Cup as a member of Team Europe.

The Spaniard talked to the media ahead of the 2024 Laver Cup. He said that playing against Nadal was a 'nightmare'.

"Against him, I mean, I think for me I just think when I played against him the first time, you know, there were times for me was kind of a nightmare. Obviously play against Rafa is always tough. I tried to find in a good way playing against a rival," he said.

The World No. 3 lavished praise on his compatriot, stating that it was a privilege to share the court with him. Alcaraz added that he tried to display his best performance whenever he faced Nadal.

"It doesn't matter for me that I'm gonna play against him. So every time that I face him, when I tried to be a good player enough to beat him, I mean, as everybody sitting at the table playing against him, we think that it is a privilege, or at least for me," he added.

Nadal leads the head-to-head between the duo 2-1. The senior Spaniard won their first two encounters at the 2022 Madrid Masters and 2022 Indian Wells Masters. Alcaraz got his only victory against Nadal at the 2021 Madrid Masters.

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Carlos Alcaraz on playing alongside Rafael Nadal: "It was a master class"

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (Image: Getty)

Carlos Alcaraz talked about his experience of playing with his compatriot Rafael Nadal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The duo lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual silver medalists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. The 21-year-old told the press at the 2024 Cincinnati Open that it was a dream come true moment for him.

“It was a great experience, talking with Rafa off the court, knowing each other much better off the court. It was a great experience, obviously, playing doubles together. It was great. It was something that I will never forget, for sure... I reached my dream, my dream came true, playing doubles alongside Rafa,” Alcaraz said.

He heaped praise on the 38-year-old for his ability to navigate difficult situations.

“Some situations, some things that you probably don't see, or is difficult to see, he sees very, very clear and off the court, how to prepare the difficult situations or the matches. It [was] a master class,” he said.

Carlos Alcaraz is scheduled to make his Laver Cup debut with Alexander Zverev in a doubles match. They will take on Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton on September 20.