Carlos Alcarez, one of Spain’s brightest and promising players, is a big admirer of Rafael Nadal. Alcarez recently reached his first semifinal in ATP Marbella 2021. Being aged 17, he thus became the youngest Spanish player to reach an ATP semifinal since Rafael Nadal did in 2004.

Alcarez is ranked 133rd in the world and recently turned pro. He made his Grand Slam debut recently at the Australian Open 2021 and reached the second round. Alcarez notably en route to the semifinal of ATP Marbella defeated young Norwegian star, Casper Ruud.

Alcarez is 17 years and 340 days old. And Rafa Nadal is the only Spanish player to reach an ATP semifinal younger than him. Before reaching 17 years and 340 days, Nadal had already reached three semifinals, winning one of them. Nadal reached his first semifinal at the age of 17 years and 48 days.

2004 was the year Nadal was getting noticed. He had won his first title that year and surprisingly spearheaded Spain’s Davis Cup team to victory that year. From then in 2005, Nadal started off his legacy, and the rest is history.

Carlos Alvarez’s admiration for Rafael Nadal

Earlier, Alcarez had practiced with Nadal during the 2021 Australian Open. Probably that inspired the young Spaniard towards a good Grand Slam debut campaign.

“Thank you very much Rafael Nadal for practice with me today at Australian Open. Very happy to have enjoyed this unique experience.”

Alcarez has never shied away from admitting that Rafa is his idol. Nadal’s humbleness and way on the court highly surprised him. Alcarez spoke highly of Nadal’s training methods as well.

“Rafa is my idol. His hunger, his attitude. It doesn’t matter if he plays a first match or a final, his level of concentration is the same. I think with the intensity, he trying to train with a lot of intensity, all the time. He hit the ball very hard.”

Alcarez has a long way to go, but he is slowly ruffling some feathers in the tennis scene. Let’s see if Alcarez’s career can shoot up like Nadal’s in 2005.

Read More: “Roland Garros is Still a Special Situation”: Dominic Thiem on Rafael Nadal Being a Roadblock at French Open