MEET TENNIS STAR DARWIN BLANCH, 16, WHO FACES RAFAEL NADAL IN HIS SECOND EVER PRO MATCH

Darwin Blanch could hardly have drawn a bigger name in his second match at ATP Tour level. The 16-year-old is preparing to face at the Madrid Open this week, in a contest with an all-time legend more than twice his age, and with 22 more Grand Slam titles on his CV.

Blanch can be forgiven for not yet opening his Grand Slam account. Born in 2007 to a Spanish mother, the tennis wonderkid spent his early years in Florida attempting to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Ulisses.

The 26-year-old is also a professional player, who once made it inside the world's top 250 and played in the US Open first round four years ago. Blanch Jr is on course to tread a similar path, having reached the semi-finals in the junior categories of Wimbledon and the French Open last year.

Blanch has solid junior pedigree, winning a USTA U-16 title at the age of just 14 to go along with his success in the junior Grand Slam categories.

At the tender age of just 14 years and five months, Blanch remains the second-youngest male player in history to score an ATP ranking point. But his only senior match at ATP Tour level came last month at the Miami Open.

Having been given a wildcard into the main draw, Blanch played Tomas Machac and lost 6-4 6-2. Now 6ft 3in tall and filling out in stature little by little, the teenager will hope to put in a better performance against an ageing Nadal.

The 37-year-old has only played two matches since coming back from his latest injury setback, suffering a heavy defeat on his last outing against Alex de Minaur. Nadal is unlikely to play nice against Blanch on Wednesday as he prepares for his beloved French Open, in what looks likely to be his farewell season as a pro.

Blanch is at the other end of the spectrum, and his reaction to drawing Nadal after being given a wildcard into the Madrid Open was telling, as he posted himself pulling a shocked expression on social media with the caption: "Guys I play Nadal wtf."

The American will be completely familiar with Nadal's popularity, particularly in front of Spanish support, having selected the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy in Alicante as his training base. There, he occasionally hits alongside two-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz, who delivered a message to him earlier this week.

"Well I've practised with him a few times in the academy," said the 20-year-old. "I know that he has good tennis, he plays really well at his age. I told him just to enjoy the moment, I told him that this moment is going to be really helpful to his career, that it was really important to mine when I faced him in 2021 the first time."

2024-04-24T05:42:25Z dg43tfdfdgfd