Madrid Open: Carlos Alcaraz Pays Tribute to Rafael Nadal’s Farewell by Imitating Idol’s Sacred Ritual

Emotions have overflown at the ongoing Madrid Open. The tournament saw its legendary player, Rafael Nadal stepping on the court for likely the last time in his home country. With the defeat against Jiri Lehecka in the round of 16 of the tournament, the Spanish legend bid farewell to his home fans with a heartfelt speech. A day after his emotional exit, Carlos Alcaraz has paid a fitting tribute to his idol.

Alcaraz is currently playing his quarterfinal match against Andrey Rublev. Before the start of his encounter against the Russian, Alcaraz copied Nadal’s pre-game warm-up style, which is a short sprint from the middle of the court to the end. The video of Alcaraz imitating his idol was shared on social media and it went viral as soon as it was posted.

Alcaraz has always looked up to Nadal since he took up tennis at a very young age. He grew up watching his fellow countryman and dreamt of following his path. Thus, it was no surprise that he imitated Nadal’s warm-up style, which received a massive cheer from the fans at the Madrid Open. As Tennis TV wrote, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery 😉”

Meanwhile, Alcaraz is shouldered with the responsibility to take his country’s hopes forward. With Nadal’s retirement nearing, Alcaraz will be the only one from his country who is among the top players in the world. So far, he hasn’t disappointed in this regard as Alcaraz matched his idol’s unique record at the ongoing Madrid Open.

Carlos Alcaraz delighted to fill in Rafael Nadal’s shoes

Yesterday, Alcaraz defeated Jan-Lennard Struff in a thrilling round of 16 clash. Following his victory, he matched Nadal’s record of 14 consecutive victories at the tournament. Alacarz is in the running to win a hat trick of titles here and was delighted to match his idol’s unique record.

After the match, he said, “It is great information. Obviously in a place as special here as Madrid is, as this tournament is, having such a long winning streak is nice and in the end I will also belong to the history of the tournament along with Rafa. For me that is wonderful. “

However, Alcaraz doesn’t want to stop here and hopes to surpass Nadal’s record. For that, he’ll have to win his ongoing match against Rublev. He already has a break up in the opening set and is looking good to surpass Nadal’s record. Can he go an extra step further and clinch a hat trick of titles in Caja Magica? Let us know your views in the comments below.