The mural of Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal, which was just recently unveiled to the public at a padel court in Madrid, has now been wiped off by unknown people.
It comes less than two days after the famous artist affectionately known as TVBOY painted the symbolic moment that many fans believe was the passing of the torch in Spanish men's tennis.
It was shared on X (originally Twitter) and generated many positive reactions. The painting depicts the warm embrace shared by Alcaraz and Nadal at the net following their thrilling quarterfinal match at the Madrid Open two years ago.
Alcaraz defeated his countryman in a rematch of their first meeting in 2021, also in Madrid. The two-time Grand Slam champion, who is set to celebrate his 21st birthday, has emerged as the new star tipped to take over as the flagbearer of Spanish tennis.
Nadal is inching closer to retirement. This week, he played at the Madrid Open for the last time, but he lost in the fourth round to Jiri Lehecka. Afterward, the tournament organizers paid tribute to Nadal in an emotional ceremony for his dedication and work throughout his career.
The 20-year-old Alcaraz, meanwhile, exited the same tournament in the quarterfinal stage. His dream of completing a hat-trick of Madrid crowns came to a screeching halt against Andrey Rublev.
But even before the two players lost their respective matches, the mural displays Nadal passing the crown to the man who is 17 years his junior and on such an upswing that several analysts reckon he will win double-digit Grand Slams.
Sadly, the mural did not even last for a full two days, with unknown vile people erasing it from the wall and then spraypainting it in a wicked act of vandalism.
Punto de Break director Jose Moron shared the photo of the defaced mural in a tweet, saying, "It's a shame that @tvboy 's beautiful mural about Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz hasn't even stood up for two days. What a society, which is not capable of respecting this type of things."
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