Category: Rafael Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz underlined his growing reputation and his emergence as a major contender for the French Open title with a statement quarter-final triumph over Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Open.

The 19-year-old starlet battled through a mid-match ankle injury to claim a first win in three meetings with the King of Clay courtesy of 6-2 1-6 6-3 success in two hours and 28 minutes.

It is Alcaraz’s fifth straight victory against a top-10 opponent and sets up a mouthwatering last-four showdown with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Speaking in the immediate aftermath of what could be a watershed moment in his career, Alcaraz said: “It means a lot to me. All the hard work I put in every day has paid off.

“The fall in the second set affected me a lot. When I lost the set I went to the bathroom and thought I would be able to come back to do my best and try everything. I wanted to fight until the last ball and that was the key.”

Back in 2007, David Nalbandian famously beat both Nadal and Djokovic (as well as Roger Federer) in Madrid and Alcaraz joked he would turn to the Argentine for advice ahead of the semi-final. Asked if he was confident he could complete a rare double, he said: “Of course, of course. I’m focusing on tomorrow. I will text Nalbandian on how he did it (laughs). I will fight and let’s see what happens.”

In a clash billed as a battle of the generations due to an age gap of 16 years and 11 months that is the largest in a Masters 1000 quarter-final since the series started in 1990, it was the young pretender who made the stronger start as he went in search of his 26th tour win of the season.

Nadal paid the price for a sloppy opening service game when he inexplicably allowed a hopeful lob on the stretch to drop in before netting a routine forehand. However, the 21-time Grand Slam champion broke straight back when Alcaraz double faulted on the 35-year-old’s fourth opportunity.

The No. 7 seed did not allow the disappointment to disrupt him and he took advantage of an ill-timed double fault from the five-time champion to break before consolidating for a 3-1 lead.

Nadal was struggling to keep hold of his serve and it was the 19-year-old who continually dictated the points with venomous strikes off both wings and a drop shot his opponent just could not read. The world No. 4 had a half chance at 3-2 down but could not make it count and Alcaraz hit a purple patch to reel off three games in a row and serve out an opener, in which he hit 19 winners, after 49 absorbing minutes.

The Australian Open champion, who was featuring in a record-extending 99th Masters 1000 quarter-final, needed to dig deep to stop the rot and mustered a big hold before teeing up triple break point. The suggestion of a switch in momentum was there but Alcaraz played clutch tennis with a series of bewitching volleys under pressure to dig out a brave hold.

Nadal knew he needed to make significant improvements on his own serve and claimed arguably his best game of the match when an unfortunate moment led to a lengthy delay. Alcaraz took a tumble trying to reach what proved to be a game-winning forehand and twisted his right ankle.

The youngster returned after a medical time-out with heavy strapping and looked hampered as he immediately coughed up an error-strewn break to love. Another plot-twist followed when a spectator fell ill in the crowd, leading to another delay before Nadal backed up the break to lead 4-1.

Alcaraz was no longer the blur of speed, power and precision from the opener and Nadal broke again before serving out to love to force the decider.

There was a real unknown element to how the final set would play out and it was perhaps fitting that a contest packed with such drama had another twist.

Nadal was the favourite at this juncture but Alcaraz began to move much more freely and unloaded a stunning forehand on the run at 1-1 and 15-30 down to turn the game – and the match – in his favour.

The world No. 9 continued to ride the euphoria of the turnaround into the next game and left the Manolo Santana Stadium crowd stunned as he broke to love before consolidating to lead 4-2.

Nadal had no answer as Alcaraz found levels akin to his Set 1 performance and the youngster held his nerve to serve out the match and become the first teenager to defeat the Mallorcan on a clay court.

It was only the second loss of 2022 for Nadal, who won’t be too disheartened by his run in the Spanish capital having only just returned from a broken rib that has hampered his preparations ahead of his bid for an unprecedented 14th title at Roland Garros.

Carlos Alcaraz underlined his growing reputation and his emergence as a major contender for the French Open title with a statement quarter-final triumph over Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Open.

The 19-year-old starlet battled through a mid-match ankle injury to claim a first win in three meetings with the King of Clay courtesy of 6-2 1-6 6-3 success in two hours and 28 minutes.

It is Alcaraz’s fifth straight victory against a top-10 opponent and sets up a mouthwatering last-four showdown with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Speaking in the immediate aftermath of what could be a watershed moment in his career, Alcaraz said: “It means a lot to me. All the hard work I put in every day has paid off.

“The fall in the second set affected me a lot. When I lost the set I went to the bathroom and thought I would be able to come back to do my best and try everything. I wanted to fight until the last ball and that was the key.”

Back in 2007, David Nalbandian famously beat both Nadal and Djokovic (as well as Roger Federer) in Madrid and Alcaraz joked he would turn to the Argentine for advice ahead of the semi-final. Asked if he was confident he could complete a rare double, he said: “Of course, of course. I’m focusing on tomorrow. I will text Nalbandian on how he did it (laughs). I will fight and let’s see what happens.”

In a clash billed as a battle of the generations due to an age gap of 16 years and 11 months that is the largest in a Masters 1000 quarter-final since the series started in 1990, it was the young pretender who made the stronger start as he went in search of his 26th tour win of the season.

Nadal paid the price for a sloppy opening service game when he inexplicably allowed a hopeful lob on the stretch to drop in before netting a routine forehand. However, the 21-time Grand Slam champion broke straight back when Alcaraz double faulted on the 35-year-old’s fourth opportunity.

The No. 7 seed did not allow the disappointment to disrupt him and he took advantage of an ill-timed double fault from the five-time champion to break before consolidating for a 3-1 lead.

Nadal was struggling to keep hold of his serve and it was the 19-year-old who continually dictated the points with venomous strikes off both wings and a drop shot his opponent just could not read. The world No. 4 had a half chance at 3-2 down but could not make it count and Alcaraz hit a purple patch to reel off three games in a row and serve out an opener, in which he hit 19 winners, after 49 absorbing minutes.

The Australian Open champion, who was featuring in a record-extending 99th Masters 1000 quarter-final, needed to dig deep to stop the rot and mustered a big hold before teeing up triple break point. The suggestion of a switch in momentum was there but Alcaraz played clutch tennis with a series of bewitching volleys under pressure to dig out a brave hold.

Nadal knew he needed to make significant improvements on his own serve and claimed arguably his best game of the match when an unfortunate moment led to a lengthy delay. Alcaraz took a tumble trying to reach what proved to be a game-winning forehand and twisted his right ankle.

The youngster returned after a medical time-out with heavy strapping and looked hampered as he immediately coughed up an error-strewn break to love. Another plot-twist followed when a spectator fell ill in the crowd, leading to another delay before Nadal backed up the break to lead 4-1.

Alcaraz was no longer the blur of speed, power and precision from the opener and Nadal broke again before serving out to love to force the decider.

There was a real unknown element to how the final set would play out and it was perhaps fitting that a contest packed with such drama had another twist.

Nadal was the favourite at this juncture but Alcaraz began to move much more freely and unloaded a stunning forehand on the run at 1-1 and 15-30 down to turn the game – and the match – in his favour.

The world No. 9 continued to ride the euphoria of the turnaround into the next game and left the Manolo Santana Stadium crowd stunned as he broke to love before consolidating to lead 4-2.

Nadal had no answer as Alcaraz found levels akin to his Set 1 performance and the youngster held his nerve to serve out the match and become the first teenager to defeat the Mallorcan on a clay court.

It was only the second loss of 2022 for Nadal, who won’t be too disheartened by his run in the Spanish capital having only just returned from a broken rib that has hampered his preparations ahead of his bid for an unprecedented 14th title at Roland Garros.

WHO IS THE WORLD NO.1 TIPPING TO WIN THIS BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS?

Speaking on-court following his easy win over Hurkacz, Djokovic was asked about this match. He said:

“It will be a Spanish player for sure! (laughs) It’s a tough one to say. They are arguably the two best players this year with the result they have had. Rafa is playing well. It didn’t seem like anything is bothering him in the last two matches. He’s very close to his best.

“Carlos is living the dream, playing amazing tennis and has improved so much. It’s hard to call. I’d say 50-50. There’s probably slightly more chance for Nadal just because of experience and in this altitude, but let’s see.”

Carlos Alcaraz underlined his growing reputation and his emergence as a major contender for the French Open title with a statement quarter-final triumph over Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Open.

The 19-year-old starlet battled through a mid-match ankle injury to claim a first win in three meetings with the King of Clay courtesy of 6-2 1-6 6-3 success in two hours and 28 minutes.

It is Alcaraz’s fifth straight victory against a top-10 opponent and sets up a mouthwatering last-four showdown with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Speaking in the immediate aftermath of what could be a watershed moment in his career, Alcaraz said: “It means a lot to me. All the hard work I put in every day has paid off.

“The fall in the second set affected me a lot. When I lost the set I went to the bathroom and thought I would be able to come back to do my best and try everything. I wanted to fight until the last ball and that was the key.”

Back in 2007, David Nalbandian famously beat both Nadal and Djokovic (as well as Roger Federer) in Madrid and Alcaraz joked he would turn to the Argentine for advice ahead of the semi-final. Asked if he was confident he could complete a rare double, he said: “Of course, of course. I’m focusing on tomorrow. I will text Nalbandian on how he did it (laughs). I will fight and let’s see what happens.”

In a clash billed as a battle of the generations due to an age gap of 16 years and 11 months that is the largest in a Masters 1000 quarter-final since the series started in 1990, it was the young pretender who made the stronger start as he went in search of his 26th tour win of the season.

Nadal paid the price for a sloppy opening service game when he inexplicably allowed a hopeful lob on the stretch to drop in before netting a routine forehand. However, the 21-time Grand Slam champion broke straight back when Alcaraz double faulted on the 35-year-old’s fourth opportunity.

The No. 7 seed did not allow the disappointment to disrupt him and he took advantage of an ill-timed double fault from the five-time champion to break before consolidating for a 3-1 lead.

Nadal was struggling to keep hold of his serve and it was the 19-year-old who continually dictated the points with venomous strikes off both wings and a drop shot his opponent just could not read. The world No. 4 had a half chance at 3-2 down but could not make it count and Alcaraz hit a purple patch to reel off three games in a row and serve out an opener, in which he hit 19 winners, after 49 absorbing minutes.

The Australian Open champion, who was featuring in a record-extending 99th Masters 1000 quarter-final, needed to dig deep to stop the rot and mustered a big hold before teeing up triple break point. The suggestion of a switch in momentum was there but Alcaraz played clutch tennis with a series of bewitching volleys under pressure to dig out a brave hold.

Nadal knew he needed to make significant improvements on his own serve and claimed arguably his best game of the match when an unfortunate moment led to a lengthy delay. Alcaraz took a tumble trying to reach what proved to be a game-winning forehand and twisted his right ankle.

The youngster returned after a medical time-out with heavy strapping and looked hampered as he immediately coughed up an error-strewn break to love. Another plot-twist followed when a spectator fell ill in the crowd, leading to another delay before Nadal backed up the break to lead 4-1.

Alcaraz was no longer the blur of speed, power and precision from the opener and Nadal broke again before serving out to love to force the decider.

There was a real unknown element to how the final set would play out and it was perhaps fitting that a contest packed with such drama had another twist.

Nadal was the favourite at this juncture but Alcaraz began to move much more freely and unloaded a stunning forehand on the run at 1-1 and 15-30 down to turn the game – and the match – in his favour.

The world No. 9 continued to ride the euphoria of the turnaround into the next game and left the Manolo Santana Stadium crowd stunned as he broke to love before consolidating to lead 4-2.

Nadal had no answer as Alcaraz found levels akin to his Set 1 performance and the youngster held his nerve to serve out the match and become the first teenager to defeat the Mallorcan on a clay court.

It was only the second loss of 2022 for Nadal, who won’t be too disheartened by his run in the Spanish capital having only just returned from a broken rib that has hampered his preparations ahead of his bid for an unprecedented 14th title at Roland Garros.

Carlos Alcaraz underlined his growing reputation and his emergence as a major contender for the French Open title with a statement quarter-final triumph over Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Open.

The 19-year-old starlet battled through a mid-match ankle injury to claim a first win in three meetings with the King of Clay courtesy of 6-2 1-6 6-3 success in two hours and 28 minutes.

It is Alcaraz’s fifth straight victory against a top-10 opponent and sets up a mouthwatering last-four showdown with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Speaking in the immediate aftermath of what could be a watershed moment in his career, Alcaraz said: “It means a lot to me. All the hard work I put in every day has paid off.

“The fall in the second set affected me a lot. When I lost the set I went to the bathroom and thought I would be able to come back to do my best and try everything. I wanted to fight until the last ball and that was the key.”

Back in 2007, David Nalbandian famously beat both Nadal and Djokovic (as well as Roger Federer) in Madrid and Alcaraz joked he would turn to the Argentine for advice ahead of the semi-final. Asked if he was confident he could complete a rare double, he said: “Of course, of course. I’m focusing on tomorrow. I will text Nalbandian on how he did it (laughs). I will fight and let’s see what happens.”

In a clash billed as a battle of the generations due to an age gap of 16 years and 11 months that is the largest in a Masters 1000 quarter-final since the series started in 1990, it was the young pretender who made the stronger start as he went in search of his 26th tour win of the season.

Nadal paid the price for a sloppy opening service game when he inexplicably allowed a hopeful lob on the stretch to drop in before netting a routine forehand. However, the 21-time Grand Slam champion broke straight back when Alcaraz double faulted on the 35-year-old’s fourth opportunity.

The No. 7 seed did not allow the disappointment to disrupt him and he took advantage of an ill-timed double fault from the five-time champion to break before consolidating for a 3-1 lead.

Nadal was struggling to keep hold of his serve and it was the 19-year-old who continually dictated the points with venomous strikes off both wings and a drop shot his opponent just could not read. The world No. 4 had a half chance at 3-2 down but could not make it count and Alcaraz hit a purple patch to reel off three games in a row and serve out an opener, in which he hit 19 winners, after 49 absorbing minutes.

The Australian Open champion, who was featuring in a record-extending 99th Masters 1000 quarter-final, needed to dig deep to stop the rot and mustered a big hold before teeing up triple break point. The suggestion of a switch in momentum was there but Alcaraz played clutch tennis with a series of bewitching volleys under pressure to dig out a brave hold.

Nadal knew he needed to make significant improvements on his own serve and claimed arguably his best game of the match when an unfortunate moment led to a lengthy delay. Alcaraz took a tumble trying to reach what proved to be a game-winning forehand and twisted his right ankle.

The youngster returned after a medical time-out with heavy strapping and looked hampered as he immediately coughed up an error-strewn break to love. Another plot-twist followed when a spectator fell ill in the crowd, leading to another delay before Nadal backed up the break to lead 4-1.

Alcaraz was no longer the blur of speed, power and precision from the opener and Nadal broke again before serving out to love to force the decider.

There was a real unknown element to how the final set would play out and it was perhaps fitting that a contest packed with such drama had another twist.

Nadal was the favourite at this juncture but Alcaraz began to move much more freely and unloaded a stunning forehand on the run at 1-1 and 15-30 down to turn the game – and the match – in his favour.

The world No. 9 continued to ride the euphoria of the turnaround into the next game and left the Manolo Santana Stadium crowd stunned as he broke to love before consolidating to lead 4-2.

Nadal had no answer as Alcaraz found levels akin to his Set 1 performance and the youngster held his nerve to serve out the match and become the first teenager to defeat the Mallorcan on a clay court.

It was only the second loss of 2022 for Nadal, who won’t be too disheartened by his run in the Spanish capital having only just returned from a broken rib that has hampered his preparations ahead of his bid for an unprecedented 14th title at Roland Garros.

Not much hope for Wimbledon

Andrey Rublev is not holding out hope for a reversal of Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, the world No.8 told reporters in Madrid on Thursday.

Rublev feels it’s unlikely Wimbledon will change their minds and reiterated his position on the matter, stating that Russian and Belarusian players gave the All England Club the option to donate their prize money to those affected by the war – a suggestion that was snubbed in favour of the ban.

“I don’t give myself hope. First of all I think if they announce already one decision, I don’t think that they will step back,” Rublev said after punching his ticket to the Madrid quarter-finals.

“If they will step back it will be really, really nice, and it would be a really nice move from them. Because I made already a statement why it makes no sense and I think if we are playing, we can be much more useful to help than if we’re going to do be banned.

“I think there are still calls between ATP and Wimbledon and some stuff like that, so we’ll see how the story ends. But how I understand that most likely… yeah I’m not giving too much hope.”

When emotions take over

Rublev is one of the most popular figures among fans online and it’s mostly because of how relatable he can be.

The 24-year-old is extremely open when it comes to his struggles to control his emotions on court and he described it best on Thursday following his tight win over Daniel Evans.

“It looks like so stressful. I don’t know what to say. I’m going on court thinking for sure today I’m going to do everything and I will be calm and then I’m doing really stupid and easy mistakes that make no sense. Then I manage somehow to calm down and at the end starts these roller coasters,” said Rublev.

Fans on Twitter reposted this Rublev quote, many of them admitting they too followed similar patterns every day.

“Story of my life,” wrote one Twitter user. “Same Rublev, same,” tweeted another.

“He’s so relatable,” another fan posted.

During one moment in the match, Rublev punched his racquet strings with his first and the camera later showed his knuckles were bleeding.

Asked by a reporter after the match if he is worried he will seriously injure himself one day during one of those on-court tantrums, Rublev said: “Yes, I understand and I agree and hopefully I’m going to stop.”

The Parchis Olympics

It’s no secret the Nadal camp are big fans of the Spanish board game Parchis and are often spotted playing the game on site.

Apparently they have an ongoing leaderboard and Marc Lopez, Nadal’s close friend, who joined his coaching staff last year, revealed who is currently at the top of the Parchis ladder.

Speaking on the Madrid Open’s Twitch channel, Lopez said Nadal’s father Sebastian is at the top of the rankings at the moment. A bit of distance behind is Rafael Nadal in second place, followed by Nadal’s physiotherapist Rafael Maymo in third and Carlos Moya in fourth.

One can only imagine how competitive that crew can get playing Parchis. They should consider streaming their games on Twitch.

Rafa dismisses Alcaraz rivalry suggestion

There is understandably considerable hype surrounding Friday’s quarter-final showdown between Nadal and 19-year-old Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz.

It will be their third meeting in 12 months, with Nadal currently 2-0 against his compatriot. Their most recent clash was a close three-setter in Indian Wells.

When a reporter suggested that there was a nice rivalry developing between the two Spaniards, Nadal was quick to dismiss the notion, noting the generational gulf between him and Alcaraz.

“No, no, no. I don’t think I will reach that rivalry. I’m 36 years old,” said Nadal.

“It’s natural. At the end of the day it’s a new generation. It has happened during all history. The history repeats itself, and thank God; it’s good that someone like Carlos has reached this level to be able to maintain our tennistical level as high as possible for the next hopefully a lot of years.

“As a supporter of tennis and sportsperson, I think it’s great to have a player like Carlos that has been able to reach this level and this strength. I think he’s a player that’s going to give us a lot of good moments in the next, I don’t know, 10, 12 years, 14. This is reality I’m talking about.

“Talking about rivalry, well, I don’t know. If I was eight or 10 years younger, perhaps if Carlos had reached 10 years ago this moment, we could be talking about a new potential rivalry.

“I think that at this moment he’s going to be someone that is going to win a lot of things, in my opinion, or at least he’s going to have a lot of options to achieve good things.

“Talking about me, I don’t have this kind of rivalries at this stage. My opponents are Djokovic, Federer, Murray in his day. This has been my career and my rivalries.

“From here onwards, I take it as another opponent that is going to compete for the most important things.

“In that moment, of course he’s going to disturb me tennistically, I don’t know for how long, but after that I’m just going to enjoy as a spectator seeing Carlos playing.”

Stats of the day

Ons Jabeur is the first African and first Arab to reach the final of a WTA 1000 tournament.

Jessica Pegula is through to her first WTA 1000 final and is the third American to reach the WTA final in Madrid, joining Venus and Serena Williams.

The match between 35-year-old Nadal and 19-year-old Alcaraz is the largest age gap between two opponents in an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

For the first time in Madrid Open history, seven of the top eight ATP seeds are through to the quarter-finals.

– – –

Not much hope for Wimbledon

Andrey Rublev is not holding out hope for a reversal of Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, the world No.8 told reporters in Madrid on Thursday.

Rublev feels it’s unlikely Wimbledon will change their minds and reiterated his position on the matter, stating that Russian and Belarusian players gave the All England Club the option to donate their prize money to those affected by the war – a suggestion that was snubbed in favour of the ban.

“I don’t give myself hope. First of all I think if they announce already one decision, I don’t think that they will step back,” Rublev said after punching his ticket to the Madrid quarter-finals.

“If they will step back it will be really, really nice, and it would be a really nice move from them. Because I made already a statement why it makes no sense and I think if we are playing, we can be much more useful to help than if we’re going to do be banned.

“I think there are still calls between ATP and Wimbledon and some stuff like that, so we’ll see how the story ends. But how I understand that most likely… yeah I’m not giving too much hope.”

When emotions take over

Rublev is one of the most popular figures among fans online and it’s mostly because of how relatable he can be.

The 24-year-old is extremely open when it comes to his struggles to control his emotions on court and he described it best on Thursday following his tight win over Daniel Evans.

“It looks like so stressful. I don’t know what to say. I’m going on court thinking for sure today I’m going to do everything and I will be calm and then I’m doing really stupid and easy mistakes that make no sense. Then I manage somehow to calm down and at the end starts these roller coasters,” said Rublev.

Fans on Twitter reposted this Rublev quote, many of them admitting they too followed similar patterns every day.

“Story of my life,” wrote one Twitter user. “Same Rublev, same,” tweeted another.

“He’s so relatable,” another fan posted.

During one moment in the match, Rublev punched his racquet strings with his first and the camera later showed his knuckles were bleeding.

Asked by a reporter after the match if he is worried he will seriously injure himself one day during one of those on-court tantrums, Rublev said: “Yes, I understand and I agree and hopefully I’m going to stop.”

The Parchis Olympics

It’s no secret the Nadal camp are big fans of the Spanish board game Parchis and are often spotted playing the game on site.

Apparently they have an ongoing leaderboard and Marc Lopez, Nadal’s close friend, who joined his coaching staff last year, revealed who is currently at the top of the Parchis ladder.

Speaking on the Madrid Open’s Twitch channel, Lopez said Nadal’s father Sebastian is at the top of the rankings at the moment. A bit of distance behind is Rafael Nadal in second place, followed by Nadal’s physiotherapist Rafael Maymo in third and Carlos Moya in fourth.

One can only imagine how competitive that crew can get playing Parchis. They should consider streaming their games on Twitch.

Rafa dismisses Alcaraz rivalry suggestion

There is understandably considerable hype surrounding Friday’s quarter-final showdown between Nadal and 19-year-old Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz.

It will be their third meeting in 12 months, with Nadal currently 2-0 against his compatriot. Their most recent clash was a close three-setter in Indian Wells.

When a reporter suggested that there was a nice rivalry developing between the two Spaniards, Nadal was quick to dismiss the notion, noting the generational gulf between him and Alcaraz.

“No, no, no. I don’t think I will reach that rivalry. I’m 36 years old,” said Nadal.

“It’s natural. At the end of the day it’s a new generation. It has happened during all history. The history repeats itself, and thank God; it’s good that someone like Carlos has reached this level to be able to maintain our tennistical level as high as possible for the next hopefully a lot of years.

“As a supporter of tennis and sportsperson, I think it’s great to have a player like Carlos that has been able to reach this level and this strength. I think he’s a player that’s going to give us a lot of good moments in the next, I don’t know, 10, 12 years, 14. This is reality I’m talking about.

“Talking about rivalry, well, I don’t know. If I was eight or 10 years younger, perhaps if Carlos had reached 10 years ago this moment, we could be talking about a new potential rivalry.

“I think that at this moment he’s going to be someone that is going to win a lot of things, in my opinion, or at least he’s going to have a lot of options to achieve good things.

“Talking about me, I don’t have this kind of rivalries at this stage. My opponents are Djokovic, Federer, Murray in his day. This has been my career and my rivalries.

“From here onwards, I take it as another opponent that is going to compete for the most important things.

“In that moment, of course he’s going to disturb me tennistically, I don’t know for how long, but after that I’m just going to enjoy as a spectator seeing Carlos playing.”

Stats of the day

Ons Jabeur is the first African and first Arab to reach the final of a WTA 1000 tournament.

Jessica Pegula is through to her first WTA 1000 final and is the third American to reach the WTA final in Madrid, joining Venus and Serena Williams.

The match between 35-year-old Nadal and 19-year-old Alcaraz is the largest age gap between two opponents in an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

For the first time in Madrid Open history, seven of the top eight ATP seeds are through to the quarter-finals.

– – –

Not much hope for Wimbledon

Andrey Rublev is not holding out hope for a reversal of Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, the world No.8 told reporters in Madrid on Thursday.

Rublev feels it’s unlikely Wimbledon will change their minds and reiterated his position on the matter, stating that Russian and Belarusian players gave the All England Club the option to donate their prize money to those affected by the war – a suggestion that was snubbed in favour of the ban.

“I don’t give myself hope. First of all I think if they announce already one decision, I don’t think that they will step back,” Rublev said after punching his ticket to the Madrid quarter-finals.

“If they will step back it will be really, really nice, and it would be a really nice move from them. Because I made already a statement why it makes no sense and I think if we are playing, we can be much more useful to help than if we’re going to do be banned.

“I think there are still calls between ATP and Wimbledon and some stuff like that, so we’ll see how the story ends. But how I understand that most likely… yeah I’m not giving too much hope.”

When emotions take over

Rublev is one of the most popular figures among fans online and it’s mostly because of how relatable he can be.

The 24-year-old is extremely open when it comes to his struggles to control his emotions on court and he described it best on Thursday following his tight win over Daniel Evans.

“It looks like so stressful. I don’t know what to say. I’m going on court thinking for sure today I’m going to do everything and I will be calm and then I’m doing really stupid and easy mistakes that make no sense. Then I manage somehow to calm down and at the end starts these roller coasters,” said Rublev.

Fans on Twitter reposted this Rublev quote, many of them admitting they too followed similar patterns every day.

“Story of my life,” wrote one Twitter user. “Same Rublev, same,” tweeted another.

“He’s so relatable,” another fan posted.

During one moment in the match, Rublev punched his racquet strings with his first and the camera later showed his knuckles were bleeding.

Asked by a reporter after the match if he is worried he will seriously injure himself one day during one of those on-court tantrums, Rublev said: “Yes, I understand and I agree and hopefully I’m going to stop.”

The Parchis Olympics

It’s no secret the Nadal camp are big fans of the Spanish board game Parchis and are often spotted playing the game on site.

Apparently they have an ongoing leaderboard and Marc Lopez, Nadal’s close friend, who joined his coaching staff last year, revealed who is currently at the top of the Parchis ladder.

Speaking on the Madrid Open’s Twitch channel, Lopez said Nadal’s father Sebastian is at the top of the rankings at the moment. A bit of distance behind is Rafael Nadal in second place, followed by Nadal’s physiotherapist Rafael Maymo in third and Carlos Moya in fourth.

One can only imagine how competitive that crew can get playing Parchis. They should consider streaming their games on Twitch.

Rafa dismisses Alcaraz rivalry suggestion

There is understandably considerable hype surrounding Friday’s quarter-final showdown between Nadal and 19-year-old Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz.

It will be their third meeting in 12 months, with Nadal currently 2-0 against his compatriot. Their most recent clash was a close three-setter in Indian Wells.

When a reporter suggested that there was a nice rivalry developing between the two Spaniards, Nadal was quick to dismiss the notion, noting the generational gulf between him and Alcaraz.

“No, no, no. I don’t think I will reach that rivalry. I’m 36 years old,” said Nadal.

“It’s natural. At the end of the day it’s a new generation. It has happened during all history. The history repeats itself, and thank God; it’s good that someone like Carlos has reached this level to be able to maintain our tennistical level as high as possible for the next hopefully a lot of years.

“As a supporter of tennis and sportsperson, I think it’s great to have a player like Carlos that has been able to reach this level and this strength. I think he’s a player that’s going to give us a lot of good moments in the next, I don’t know, 10, 12 years, 14. This is reality I’m talking about.

“Talking about rivalry, well, I don’t know. If I was eight or 10 years younger, perhaps if Carlos had reached 10 years ago this moment, we could be talking about a new potential rivalry.

“I think that at this moment he’s going to be someone that is going to win a lot of things, in my opinion, or at least he’s going to have a lot of options to achieve good things.

“Talking about me, I don’t have this kind of rivalries at this stage. My opponents are Djokovic, Federer, Murray in his day. This has been my career and my rivalries.

“From here onwards, I take it as another opponent that is going to compete for the most important things.

“In that moment, of course he’s going to disturb me tennistically, I don’t know for how long, but after that I’m just going to enjoy as a spectator seeing Carlos playing.”

Stats of the day

Ons Jabeur is the first African and first Arab to reach the final of a WTA 1000 tournament.

Jessica Pegula is through to her first WTA 1000 final and is the third American to reach the WTA final in Madrid, joining Venus and Serena Williams.

The match between 35-year-old Nadal and 19-year-old Alcaraz is the largest age gap between two opponents in an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

For the first time in Madrid Open history, seven of the top eight ATP seeds are through to the quarter-finals.

– – –

Not much hope for Wimbledon

Andrey Rublev is not holding out hope for a reversal of Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, the world No.8 told reporters in Madrid on Thursday.

Rublev feels it’s unlikely Wimbledon will change their minds and reiterated his position on the matter, stating that Russian and Belarusian players gave the All England Club the option to donate their prize money to those affected by the war – a suggestion that was snubbed in favour of the ban.

“I don’t give myself hope. First of all I think if they announce already one decision, I don’t think that they will step back,” Rublev said after punching his ticket to the Madrid quarter-finals.

“If they will step back it will be really, really nice, and it would be a really nice move from them. Because I made already a statement why it makes no sense and I think if we are playing, we can be much more useful to help than if we’re going to do be banned.

“I think there are still calls between ATP and Wimbledon and some stuff like that, so we’ll see how the story ends. But how I understand that most likely… yeah I’m not giving too much hope.”

When emotions take over

Rublev is one of the most popular figures among fans online and it’s mostly because of how relatable he can be.

The 24-year-old is extremely open when it comes to his struggles to control his emotions on court and he described it best on Thursday following his tight win over Daniel Evans.

“It looks like so stressful. I don’t know what to say. I’m going on court thinking for sure today I’m going to do everything and I will be calm and then I’m doing really stupid and easy mistakes that make no sense. Then I manage somehow to calm down and at the end starts these roller coasters,” said Rublev.

Fans on Twitter reposted this Rublev quote, many of them admitting they too followed similar patterns every day.

“Story of my life,” wrote one Twitter user. “Same Rublev, same,” tweeted another.

“He’s so relatable,” another fan posted.

During one moment in the match, Rublev punched his racquet strings with his first and the camera later showed his knuckles were bleeding.

Asked by a reporter after the match if he is worried he will seriously injure himself one day during one of those on-court tantrums, Rublev said: “Yes, I understand and I agree and hopefully I’m going to stop.”

The Parchis Olympics

It’s no secret the Nadal camp are big fans of the Spanish board game Parchis and are often spotted playing the game on site.

Apparently they have an ongoing leaderboard and Marc Lopez, Nadal’s close friend, who joined his coaching staff last year, revealed who is currently at the top of the Parchis ladder.

Speaking on the Madrid Open’s Twitch channel, Lopez said Nadal’s father Sebastian is at the top of the rankings at the moment. A bit of distance behind is Rafael Nadal in second place, followed by Nadal’s physiotherapist Rafael Maymo in third and Carlos Moya in fourth.

One can only imagine how competitive that crew can get playing Parchis. They should consider streaming their games on Twitch.

Rafa dismisses Alcaraz rivalry suggestion

There is understandably considerable hype surrounding Friday’s quarter-final showdown between Nadal and 19-year-old Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz.

It will be their third meeting in 12 months, with Nadal currently 2-0 against his compatriot. Their most recent clash was a close three-setter in Indian Wells.

When a reporter suggested that there was a nice rivalry developing between the two Spaniards, Nadal was quick to dismiss the notion, noting the generational gulf between him and Alcaraz.

“No, no, no. I don’t think I will reach that rivalry. I’m 36 years old,” said Nadal.

“It’s natural. At the end of the day it’s a new generation. It has happened during all history. The history repeats itself, and thank God; it’s good that someone like Carlos has reached this level to be able to maintain our tennistical level as high as possible for the next hopefully a lot of years.

“As a supporter of tennis and sportsperson, I think it’s great to have a player like Carlos that has been able to reach this level and this strength. I think he’s a player that’s going to give us a lot of good moments in the next, I don’t know, 10, 12 years, 14. This is reality I’m talking about.

“Talking about rivalry, well, I don’t know. If I was eight or 10 years younger, perhaps if Carlos had reached 10 years ago this moment, we could be talking about a new potential rivalry.

“I think that at this moment he’s going to be someone that is going to win a lot of things, in my opinion, or at least he’s going to have a lot of options to achieve good things.

“Talking about me, I don’t have this kind of rivalries at this stage. My opponents are Djokovic, Federer, Murray in his day. This has been my career and my rivalries.

“From here onwards, I take it as another opponent that is going to compete for the most important things.

“In that moment, of course he’s going to disturb me tennistically, I don’t know for how long, but after that I’m just going to enjoy as a spectator seeing Carlos playing.”

Stats of the day

Ons Jabeur is the first African and first Arab to reach the final of a WTA 1000 tournament.

Jessica Pegula is through to her first WTA 1000 final and is the third American to reach the WTA final in Madrid, joining Venus and Serena Williams.

The match between 35-year-old Nadal and 19-year-old Alcaraz is the largest age gap between two opponents in an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

For the first time in Madrid Open history, seven of the top eight ATP seeds are through to the quarter-finals.

– – –

Not much hope for Wimbledon

Andrey Rublev is not holding out hope for a reversal of Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, the world No.8 told reporters in Madrid on Thursday.

Rublev feels it’s unlikely Wimbledon will change their minds and reiterated his position on the matter, stating that Russian and Belarusian players gave the All England Club the option to donate their prize money to those affected by the war – a suggestion that was snubbed in favour of the ban.

“I don’t give myself hope. First of all I think if they announce already one decision, I don’t think that they will step back,” Rublev said after punching his ticket to the Madrid quarter-finals.

“If they will step back it will be really, really nice, and it would be a really nice move from them. Because I made already a statement why it makes no sense and I think if we are playing, we can be much more useful to help than if we’re going to do be banned.

“I think there are still calls between ATP and Wimbledon and some stuff like that, so we’ll see how the story ends. But how I understand that most likely… yeah I’m not giving too much hope.”

When emotions take over

Rublev is one of the most popular figures among fans online and it’s mostly because of how relatable he can be.

The 24-year-old is extremely open when it comes to his struggles to control his emotions on court and he described it best on Thursday following his tight win over Daniel Evans.

“It looks like so stressful. I don’t know what to say. I’m going on court thinking for sure today I’m going to do everything and I will be calm and then I’m doing really stupid and easy mistakes that make no sense. Then I manage somehow to calm down and at the end starts these roller coasters,” said Rublev.

Fans on Twitter reposted this Rublev quote, many of them admitting they too followed similar patterns every day.

“Story of my life,” wrote one Twitter user. “Same Rublev, same,” tweeted another.

“He’s so relatable,” another fan posted.

During one moment in the match, Rublev punched his racquet strings with his first and the camera later showed his knuckles were bleeding.

Asked by a reporter after the match if he is worried he will seriously injure himself one day during one of those on-court tantrums, Rublev said: “Yes, I understand and I agree and hopefully I’m going to stop.”

The Parchis Olympics

It’s no secret the Nadal camp are big fans of the Spanish board game Parchis and are often spotted playing the game on site.

Apparently they have an ongoing leaderboard and Marc Lopez, Nadal’s close friend, who joined his coaching staff last year, revealed who is currently at the top of the Parchis ladder.

Speaking on the Madrid Open’s Twitch channel, Lopez said Nadal’s father Sebastian is at the top of the rankings at the moment. A bit of distance behind is Rafael Nadal in second place, followed by Nadal’s physiotherapist Rafael Maymo in third and Carlos Moya in fourth.

One can only imagine how competitive that crew can get playing Parchis. They should consider streaming their games on Twitch.

Rafa dismisses Alcaraz rivalry suggestion

There is understandably considerable hype surrounding Friday’s quarter-final showdown between Nadal and 19-year-old Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz.

It will be their third meeting in 12 months, with Nadal currently 2-0 against his compatriot. Their most recent clash was a close three-setter in Indian Wells.

When a reporter suggested that there was a nice rivalry developing between the two Spaniards, Nadal was quick to dismiss the notion, noting the generational gulf between him and Alcaraz.

“No, no, no. I don’t think I will reach that rivalry. I’m 36 years old,” said Nadal.

“It’s natural. At the end of the day it’s a new generation. It has happened during all history. The history repeats itself, and thank God; it’s good that someone like Carlos has reached this level to be able to maintain our tennistical level as high as possible for the next hopefully a lot of years.

“As a supporter of tennis and sportsperson, I think it’s great to have a player like Carlos that has been able to reach this level and this strength. I think he’s a player that’s going to give us a lot of good moments in the next, I don’t know, 10, 12 years, 14. This is reality I’m talking about.

“Talking about rivalry, well, I don’t know. If I was eight or 10 years younger, perhaps if Carlos had reached 10 years ago this moment, we could be talking about a new potential rivalry.

“I think that at this moment he’s going to be someone that is going to win a lot of things, in my opinion, or at least he’s going to have a lot of options to achieve good things.

“Talking about me, I don’t have this kind of rivalries at this stage. My opponents are Djokovic, Federer, Murray in his day. This has been my career and my rivalries.

“From here onwards, I take it as another opponent that is going to compete for the most important things.

“In that moment, of course he’s going to disturb me tennistically, I don’t know for how long, but after that I’m just going to enjoy as a spectator seeing Carlos playing.”

Stats of the day

Ons Jabeur is the first African and first Arab to reach the final of a WTA 1000 tournament.

Jessica Pegula is through to her first WTA 1000 final and is the third American to reach the WTA final in Madrid, joining Venus and Serena Williams.

The match between 35-year-old Nadal and 19-year-old Alcaraz is the largest age gap between two opponents in an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

For the first time in Madrid Open history, seven of the top eight ATP seeds are through to the quarter-finals.

– – –