And “Carlitos” (momentarily) saved “Rafa”… After Nadal’s defeat at the opening of the Davis Cup quarter-final in Malaga against the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp (6-4, 6-4 in 1h53), the Spaniards had their backs to the wall. Fortunately for them, Carlos Alcaraz is indeed the worthy heir of his glorious elder. And reset the counters by beating Griekspoor (7-6 (0), 6-3 in 1h25).
“I just lost my concentration on a game and conceded a break at the start,” he summarizes. I had to stay focused, positive, in combat. I had to be patient. I’m happy that I was able to finish in two sets. I watched Rafa’s entire match, part of it in the room and part of it in front of my screen. The Davis Cup is very important for all of us. I have to play my best tennis for us to qualify, I also did it for Rafa. »
After letting the storm pass at the start of the match, the protégé of Juan Carlos Ferrero raised the tone at the end of the first set with a scathing 7-0 in the decisive game. At the edge of the court, boiling under his white cap, Nadal enjoyed the show and gave voice.
Building on his momentum, the winner of Roland-Garros and Wimbledon this year shifted gears from the start of the second set to begin his insolent demonstration, stifle the world No. 40 and stay as little time as possible on the court.
Because the working day of the native of El Palmar is not yet over. After a short break, Alcaraz will be on track for another mission, this time in doubles, alongside specialist Marcel Granollers.
In the event of a victory, David Ferrer’s men would qualify for the semi-finals on Friday against Germany or Canada. And would further extend the last week of Nadal’s career, who has already warned that we would probably not see him again in singles on the court…
