Carlos Alcaraz kept Rafael Nadal's hopes of playing one more match alive by beating Tallon Griekspoor at the 2024 Davis Cup FInals.
The highly-emotional Davis Cup Finals in Malaga started, and already in first match, fans who came to see Nadal's last match realized it might come sooner than some might have expeced.
He lost to Botic van de Zandschulp, which meant that if Spain wanted to make it to the semi-finals of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals, Alcaraz had to beat Griekspoor, and the Spanish team also needed to win in doubles.
The two met six times before, and even though the Dutch player won the first time they met, Alcaraz won the following five matches, and he was coming into this match as a big favorite.
But there was one factor that certainly could not have been underestimated, and that was the pressure that he had to face. His loss would mean the end of Nadal's career, and that's the last thing he wanted to do.
Prior to the event, Alcaraz spoke about the importance of Nadal's retirement, and it was clear that he wanted to win the match for his compatriot. But his nerves were obvious early on as well.
Despite having the first break point of the match, Alcaraz was the first player broken, facing a 2-4 deficit early in the match. Cheered on by the Spanish crowd, he was able to break back and take the set into the tie-break.
In the tie-break, Alcaraz was the overwhelmingly better player, as he won all seven points played, winning the tie-break 7-0 to secure the first set of the match.
With the first set in the bag, he could be much more calm, and it showed in the second set. The Spaniard broke to start the set, leading 3-0, and he was as confident as ever on his serve after that.
In the match, Alcaraz hit an incredible 11 aces. He won 97% of points after his first serve, losing only one point after his first serve in the match, and in the second set, he lost only one point on his serve in general.
It was just a masterful serving performance from the four-time Grand Slam champion, who was able to win the match 7-6(0), 6-3 to force the deciding doubles match in the first tie of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
After his win, he admitted that he 'did it for Rafa.' It was clear that the win meant a lot to the 21-year-old player, as he wanted to delight not just the home crowd but also his idol.
"I did it for Rafa. Let’s see how it goes in the doubles."
If he really wants Nadal to have one more chance to play, Alcaraz might need to dress up for the doubles match as well. He should team up with Marcel Granollers to take on Wesley Koolhof and Botic van de Zandschulp.
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