Carlos Alcaraz Gives Statement on Rafael Nadal's Retirement

Carlos Alcaraz gave a lengthy answer on the importance of Rafael Nadal's retirement.

Jul 28, 2024; Paris, France; Rafael Nadal (ESP) and Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) talk during their match against Maximo Gonzales (ARG) and Andres Molteni (ARG) in the men's tennis doubles first round during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images / Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The entire sports world was saddened to hear about Rafael Nadal's retirement announcement on Thursday morning. While it came as no surprise, it did not make the moment any less important.

Tributes from former and current players immediately came flooding in on social media. Besides other tennis legends, no one's opinion was more important than Carlos Alcaraz.

The 21-year-old Spanish player is seen as an heir to Nadal's throne. When speaking with media members at the Shanghai Masters, Alcaraz offered a lengthy answer when asked about Nadal's announcement.

"Thanks to him I really wanted to become a professional tennis player"

A beautiful moment as @CarlosAlcaraz and team watch Rafa's retirement video together in the gym in Shanghai 💙🥹 pic.twitter.com/celMxjL83r

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 10, 2024

"Well, it was, honestly, I couldn't believe it when I watch it. You know, it didn't affect me at all before the match. I didn't get distracted at all; I was just really focused on the match; I didn't think about Rafa's news."

A video of Alcaraz and his team watching the four-minute retirement announcement quickly circulated online. The four-time Grand Slam champion became emotional watching the video.

"But obviously, when I watched it, it was tough to accept it. I was in shock a little bit. Thanks that I saw it like one hour before the match, so I had time to accept it and forget it a little bit before the match."

The 3-seed Alcaraz ended up losing the quarterfinals match against Tomas Machac in straight sets: 7-6, 7-5. The stunning upset to the 30-seed added insult to injury for Alcaraz today.

Carlos Alcaraz says Rafa Nadal’s retirement news was tough for him to accept, ‘He has been my idol since I started playing tennis. I look up to him. Proudly, thanks to him, I really wanted to become a professional tennis player’

“Sorry for your loss today. We all heard the… pic.twitter.com/1gPM9GmtaC

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 10, 2024

Alcaraz continued, "It is a really difficult thing, really difficult news for everybody, and even tougher for me. He has been my idol since I start playing tennis. I look up to him. Proudly, thanks to him, I really wanted to become professional tennis player."

Alcaraz concluded, "Losing him, in a certain way, is going to be difficult for us, so I will try to enjoy as much as I can when he's going to play. But we are going to play in Saudi Arabia, and then Davis Cup, so I'm going to try to enjoy as much as I can the time with him, but, yeah, it is a shame for tennis and for me."

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