Rafael Nadal was bested by compatriot Carlos Alcaraz at the 2022 Madrid Open, and he had only words of praise for him after the match.
The two Spaniards met in the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid, and while the home crowd enjoyed the match, only one could make it through and set up a meeting with the top-seeded Novak Djokovic.
After a three-set battle, it was Alcaraz who outplayed Nadal for the first time in his career, winning 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, despite needing a medical time-out for an ankle injury during the match.
After the loss, Nadal wasn't bitter about losing to his 19-year-old compatriot. Quite the contrary, the Spanish legend very complimentary of Alcaraz, accepting defeat gracefully and explaining that the youngster was simply better than him.
"The first thing is to congratulate him. First of all, happy for him, he has been better than me in various facets of the game and I need to improve these days. It is accepted naturally and calmly, with the certainty that there is a path to follow and arrive with real options to generate opportunities."
"It is an easy defeat to digest, we knew what we were coming here for and we have to congratulate Carlos, he is playing well and I wish him the best for the rest of the tournament."
Naturally, Nadal was also asked about Alcaraz now having to face one of his greatest rivals, Djokovic, which is a matchup the teenager craved for a very long time. According to the Spaniard, Alcaraz could win the match, given how he played against him.
"I haven't seen Novak play this week. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, one of the best players in history is playing against a youngster at a very high level. Carlos can win perfectly, I don't see any reason why he can't win."
"It's true that he can't have a slump like the one in the second set. He plays a lot with moods, when his adrenaline goes up he's practically unstoppable. Then, of course, he makes mistakes because he plays with a lot of risk."
In recent months, Alcaraz certainly is one of the brightest stars shining on the ATP Tour, and this latest win over the 'King of Clay' on the red dirt in Madrid only proves that he has level to challenge anyone, and the 13-time Roland Garros favorite agrees.
"I think he has the level to beat anyone in the world, without a doubt."