It is an all Spanish quarterfinal in Madrid as 21 times grand slam winner Rafael Nadal is set to face the young Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal match of the Madrid Open.
Fans would highly be excited for the match between Nadal and Alcaraz owing to the number of similarities between the two tennis stars. Carlos Alcaraz also looks up to Rafael Nadal as a mentor and an idol.
It would surely be interesting to see how Nadal performs against his young protege and potential successor.
There are certain interesting facts and similarities between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal that every tennis enthusiast needs to see before their match on Friday.
#1 Carlos Alcaraz is the youngest Spanish player since Rafael Nadal to represent Spain in Davis Cup
Rafael Nadal debuted for Spain in Davis Cup way back in 2004 when he was just 17 years and 248 days old. He ended up losing his first match against the Czech player Jiri Novak.
Carlos Alcaraz is the 4th youngest ever player to reach a Masters 1000 final, as he beats the defending champion Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(5), 7-6(2) to reach the title match in Miami against Casper Ruud. Two first time ATP M1000 finalists.
18 years, 333 days.
[getty] pic.twitter.com/D5KIzLdyQT
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) April 2, 2022
On the other hand, Carlos Alcaraz made his debut for Spain in the Davis Cup when he was 18 years and 303 days old. He defeated Romania’s Marius Copil to hand his team the lead in the tournament.
#2 Carlos Alcaraz broke Nadal’s record as the youngest match-winner at the Madrid Masters
Alcaraz made his debut in the Madrid Masters in 2021 after a wildcard was offered to him. He faced Adrian Mannarino in the first round and he went on to win the fixture by a 6-4, 6-0. This made him the youngest match-winner in the tournament’s history.
Rafael Nadal who held the previous record had defeated Davide Sanguinetti in the first round of the tournament in 2004. Surprisingly, Rafael was the one who defeated Carlos in the 2021 edition of the tournament.
#3 Carlos Alcaraz is the youngest Spaniard to win an ATP tour title since Nadal
Carlos Alcaraz won his first ATP tour title in Croatia at the age of 18 years and 14 months. He defeated three players who were ranked higher than him to win the tournament.
Rafael Nadal won the ATP title in Warsaw without dropping his single set at the age of 18 years, 2 months and six days.
#4 Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal both entered the Top 10 ATP rankings in the same tournament on the same date
Carlos Alcaraz became an overnight sensation after he matched the record of being the youngest Spaniard since Rafael Nadal to win the Barcelona Open.
This was @alcarazcarlos03‘s first ever win at Masters 1000 level 👏
He’ll face Nadal in Madrid on his 18th birthday 🥳
The stuff dreams are made of! #MMOpen pic.twitter.com/f7Kl76MtDh
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 3, 2021
He not only won the tournament but also entered the top 10 rankings of the ATP for the first time. And to our surprise, Rafael Nadal had also entered the top 10 rankings of ATP on the same day and via winning the same tournament way back in 2004.
#5 Carlos Alcaraz overtook Nadal by becoming the youngest player to reach the semifinals of the Sunshine Double
Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest player to reach the semifinals at the Indian Wells and the Miami Open also known as the Sunshine Doubles at 18 years and 10 months.
The only other teenagers who have achieved this feat apart from Rafael Nadal are Andre Agassi, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
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