Alcaraz Confident Of Beating Nadal At Roland Garros Despite 'Thousand Lives'
World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz has spoken about his desire to play against Rafael Nadal at the site of his extraordinary 14 triumphs in Paris.
Talking to Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the defence of his crown at the Madrid Open this week, Alcaraz had warm words of admiration for his compatriot, describing the upcoming Roland Garros as Nadal's tournament.
But the teenage Spaniard is also keen to test himself against the very best, and hopes to play Nadal at Roland Garros. Although the 22-time Grand Slam champion's participation is not certain at the moment, his younger colleague from the ATP Tour said:
I have always said that I like to play against the best and Nadal is one of the best in history, there is no doubt about it. His tournament is Roland Garros, he has more titles, but this is the most symbolic for him. I would love to play him at Roland Garros, measure myself against him, and see what happens. I think I could beat him, but Rafa has a thousand lives there.
Nadal is still recovering from a troublesome hip injury first sustained during his second-round loss at the Australian Open this January, but according to his own Uncle Toni his nearing return.
The initial timeframe for recovery was 6 - 8 weeks, but the 22-time Grand Slam champion still finds himself out of competitive action over three months later. Nadal has faced a litany of injuries throughout his career, something which Alcaraz sees as an indication of his strength of character more than anything else.
No matter how many problems come, he always puts solutions and never makes excuses. He has experienced many matches in which he has been dead and has managed to turn it around. And that's not easy at all, to stay mentally strong to look for solutions. It is something that I would like to take from Rafa, the ability he has to adapt to any situation.
The two may still get the chance to face off against each other at this year's French Open, but Nadal faces a uphill battle to get himself fit in time for the second Grand Slam of the year.
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