WHAT CARLOS ALCARAZ TOLD 16-YEAR-OLD TENNIS ROOKIE FACING RAFAEL NADAL AT MADRID OPEN

has shared what he told Darwin Blanch as the 16-year-old prepares to face Rafael Nadal in Madrid. Alcaraz also played his first match against the 22-time Grand Slam champion at the Madrid Open on his 18th birthday. The world No. 3 knows Blanch well as the American trains at the same academy and they have previously practised together.

Blanch will face a huge test in just his second-ever match at ATP Tour level as he comes up against Nadal at the Madrid Open. The inexperienced world No. 1028 is the lowest-ranked player in the draw and received a wildcard into the tournament.

Although Nadal is still making his comeback from an abdominal injury and has only played two other tournaments this year, he will still be the overwhelming favourite as the 'King of Clay' and a five-time former champion at the tournament. But Blanch will be able to learn from Alcaraz, who also faced the former world No. 1 at the Caja Magica as a teenager on the rise.

Blanch trains at Juan Carlos Ferrero's Equelite Academy and has often stepped in as a sparring partner for Alcaraz. And the two-time Major winner revealed that he gave the 16-year-old a pep-talk ahead of his meeting with Nadal. "Well I've practised with him a few times in the academy," Alcaraz said in Madrid.

"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."

Alcaraz suffered a 6-1 6-2 washout on his 18th birthday at the Madrid Open in 2021. It remains his most recent loss at the tournament. A year later, he returned and beat both Nadal and Novak Djokovic en route to the title, and he defended his crown in 2023.

The 20-year-old Spaniard added: "I learned a lot from that match and living this experience is really helpful. So [I told him] just to enjoy the moment and give himself the opportunity to enjoy and get experience."

Blanch is seeking his first win at tour level after losing to Tomas Machac in his first ATP match at the Miami Open last month. The American has been gaining experience on the clay courts on the ITF circuit and reached the semi-final in Telde last week but his match against Nadal will be a massive step up.

2024-04-23T17:40:33Z dg43tfdfdgfd