'I Bow At Rafa's Feet': Alcaraz Stunned By Nadal's Achievements After Barcelona Injury
NewsWednesday, 23 April 2025 at 21:30
Carlos Alcaraz got to fully experience the clay-court grind after he injured himself at the 2025 Barcelona Open.
Alcaraz is not a rookie anymore. He has already completed a few full seasons on the ATP Tour, but compared to a legend like Nadal, he still might not know what it takes to achieve some things that the 38-year-old Spaniard has achieved.
In fact, Alcaraz himself confirmed this after the conclusion of the Barcelona Open, as he found out that matching some of Nadal's achievements might be impossible.
Throughout his career, Nadal won the Monte-Carlo Masters 11 times, lifted 10 Italian Open trophies, and also won 12 Barcelona Open titles. On top of that, Nadal managed to win 14 French Open crowns.
All four of those tournaments are held within a few-week window, and winning all of them so many times basically means that for the vast majority of his playing career, Nadal rarely rested during the clay-court part of the season.
That's something that Alcaraz got to experience this year. The 21-year-old won the title in Monte-Carlo, and he chose not to rest afterward. Instead, the four-time Grand Slam champion traveled to Barcelona to compete at the ATP 500 event in the city.
Because of that, his schedule was quite heavy, and Alcaraz ended up playing 10 matches in 12 days. Eventually, that caught up to him, as the ATP World No. 3 player injured himself during the Barcelona Open final.
After his injury, Alcaraz had a chance to reflect on how challenging it was to play so many matches in such a short timespan, something Nadal did regularly during his career, and successfully so.
The 21-year-old player realized how difficult it might be to get even close to emulating what the legendary Spaniard did, and he wanted to mention that when speaking after his loss in Barcelona.
"That’s what happens when you play so many matches and have so few days to rest. It’s so demanding, and you have to give 100 per cent every day. Having played a tournament like Monte-Carlo and arriving in Barcelona with a few days to adapt is really tough. Now I bow at the feet of Rafa [Nadal] because of what he did week after week. You have to respect that."
"We admire Rafa for what he’s done, particularly on this swing. But winning everything consecutively is kind of impossible. And once you’ve experienced it firsthand, you appreciate what Rafa did much more and how difficult it is to be 100 per cent physically and mentally week after week."
Alcaraz also revealed that Nadal texted him immediately after the Barcelona Open final, checking up on him. At the moment, Alcaraz's Madrid Open participation is still in doubt, and he should make a decision about it in the coming hours.
"He wrote to me. To give me some encouragement, telling me he hopes that I’m not injured and that in a few days I can train again and give my all."
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