Carlos Alcaraz imitated Rafael Nadal's iconic bottle ritual, drawing global attention during his impressive quarterfinal win at the 2023 Madrid Open.
At the young age of 19, Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz has already made a name for himself on the ATP Tour. His recent victory over 10th seed Karen Khachanov at the Madrid Open quarterfinals not only secured him a spot in the last four of the ATP Masters 1000 event but also gained him widespread attention for a peculiar reason: his on-court behavior mimicking none other than the legendary Rafael Nadal.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion is well-known for his meticulous pre-serve rituals, but also those during the changeovers. One such habit that has become synonymous with the Spaniard is the way he carefully arranges his water bottles during matches.
Nadal is often seen taking a sip from each of his two bottles before placing them in a specific position, with the labels facing the court. This seemingly innocuous ritual has been a subject of both fascination and amusement among tennis fans and commentators.
During his quarterfinal match against Khachanov, Alcaraz was seen performing the same bottle ritual, sparking an immediate reaction from fans worldwide. The young player's similarity to Nadal's quirky habit was met with a mixture of surprise, delight, and curiosity. Was this an intentional tribute to the tennis great, or merely a subconscious adoption of the habit?
Despite constant comparisons, the teenager explained many times in the past that he doesn't want to be compared to the Big Three or his compatriot Rafael Nadal, but he wants to create his own history instead.
"I want to beat Nadal and Djokovic, but I am not here to take any Grand Slams away from them or prevent either of them from being the best of all time. I am just trying to write my own history. I want to win Slams. I am ambitious and my goals are big, I'm not going to lie. My dream is to be one of the best in history, to try to get somehow close to them."
0 Comments