The five-time winner of the Madrid tournament spoke about his favorite in the semifinal
Something that surprised the followers of the tennisis that the first thing he did Rafael Nadal at the beginning of the press conference after the quarterfinal match was to congratulate Carlos Alcaraz, considered his natural successor, who won the duel between the two to reach the semifinals of the Masters 1,000 from Madrid.
“The relay is because he is 19 years old and I am 36. If it is from today, we will see it in the months. I am happy for him, who has been better than me in various facets of the game and I need to improve, as I have said”, said Rafa Nadal.
Nadal’s attitude towards Alcaraz’s professionalism has been very admirable
“Nothing has happened that was not logical and it is accepted with the certainty that there is a path to follow to reach Roland Garros,” Nadal said. “In that sense, we knew what we were coming for without taking away any merit from Alcaraz,” stressed the winner of twenty-one Grand Slam titles.
Likewise, Rafa Nadal refused to talk about his chronic foot injury. “There is no problem with the foot. It is a day to accept defeat naturally and assimilate the tennis and physical issues. But not the foot, but to improve the ability to react ”, he said in front of the reporters.
Health problems and recovery from injury have been an impediment for the tennis player
Nadal pointed out that he does not like having to start his preparation in Madrid due to the conditions of the tournament. He would have preferred another competition, but the recovery from the injury did not allow it. “We are in a special tournament, with height, it is the one that is the furthest from Roland Garros on the clay tour”.
The five-time winner of the Madrid tournament does not see a favorite in the semifinal between Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, but considers that the Spaniard is more capable. “A young man at a high level against one of the best in history who carries a greater baggage than the one I carry, for example.”