Rafael Nadal was supposed to play at the 2024 Laver Cup, but he won't, as the Spaniard withdrew in the lead-up to the event, leaving his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz quite disappointed.
The two Spaniards shared the court together in the last competitive tennis match Nadal played because they played together at the Paris Olympics, competing in the doubles event.
Alcaraz was excited to possibly have another chance to play with Nadal on the doubles court, this time in a team competition, but he won't get it because the 22-time major winner withdrew from the Laver Cup.
It was both surprising and not surprising that Nadal withdrew from the event. He had admitted a few times since the Olympics that he would play at the Laver Cup, but everything else we've seen from him has put that in doubt.
Eventually, he withdrew from the event, leaving some of his teammates disappointed. On top of that, it raised many questions about Nadal's future. If he's not ready to compete in a lighter type of event, when will he be able to compete properly?
Nobody knows, but Alcaraz knows that he was disappointed by Nadal's withdrawal, as he had hoped to play with him one more time, especially since it could have been the last chance for him to compete alongside Nadal.
"It would have been super special to repeat here in Berlin. When they gave the team and I saw that Rafa was coming, I was really excited to share the locker room with him once again. Here at the Laver Cup, we are all much closer together and it would have been a unique experience."
"I am going to miss him and I hope he returns to the courts soon when he feels well. I hope we meet at some tournament soon."
Nadal's participation at the Laver Cup would have been special because the last time fans got a chance to see him at the event was back in 2022 when he shared the court with Roger Federer in what ended up being Federer's final match ever.
For Alcaraz, the question remains simple, as he's expected to carry a heavy workload at this year's event. Team Europe was beaten in the last two editions of the event, so they want to win again.
Alcaraz, one of Team Europe's most successful players, will want to record some important wins to help his team. He's ready for it, but it would have been good to have one of the greatest in history backing him up in that endeavor.
"Rafa is one of the greatest in the history of our sport. For me he is my idol, he is the one I watched the matches with when I was a child, I have tried to learn from him as much as I could during the time we were together."
"I will miss him in Berlin because it was a unique opportunity to continue learning from him. He has been a unique tennis player."