Rafael Nadal has been either winning trophies or congratulating Carlos Alcaraz on winning trophies in 2022 and the Spaniard did it once again.
To say that Spanish has been having a spectacular year would be an understatement. The majority of that work came from Nadal, who won a few trophies this year, and Alcaraz, who won his third title at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona.
Albert Ramos added one title from South America, with Roberto Bautista Agut winning in the Middle East as well. However, it's the parallels between Alcaraz and Nadal that are spectacular and quite bizarre.
The young Spaniard secured a Top 10 debut in the rankings on the day Nadal did it 17 years ago. He also won his first Barcelona Open, which, for Nadal, was one of the most special events. The experienced Spaniard only missed it because he injured his rib during an Indian Wells match earlier this year.
The duo is dominating the ATP Tour at the moment with a combined 41-4 record this year. They are also both in the ATP Top 10 as of now and Nadal seems to be extremely happy to see another Spaniard at the highest level.
After Alcaraz's latest triumph at the Barcelona Open, the 21-time major winner congratulated the player who idolized him on Instagram writing:
"Congratulations to Carlos for the title in Barcelona! Also, to Pablo for the final. A spectacular week for both and for Spanish tennis that once again has a winner."
Nadal was not in Barcelona for the final match, as he has been working hard on his rehabilitation back home in Manacor, but the Spaniard will most likely return next week in Madrid.
It is there where he and Alcaraz played their first match against each other, and Nadal won comfortably. While the experienced Spaniard is still playing at an unbelievable level, it seems like we're coming closer to the 'passing the torch' moment in Spanish tennis.
When that happens, Nadal will be at peace knowing a great champion is succeeding him, one who looked up to him and who cherished the chance to play his idol at least once. Since then, it happened once more, and undoubtedly, it will happen a couple more times in the future.