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Carlos Alcaraz said hearing about his fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal’s retirement on Thursday was “painful.”
“Honestly I couldn’t believe it. When I watched it [retireent announcement], it was tough to accept it. I was in shock a little bit. He’s an unbelievable person,” said Alcaraz after he was knocked out of the Shanghai Masters in the last eight, losing to 33rd-ranked Czech Tomas Machac 6-7, 5-7.
“To see him leave tennis, which is what he loves, is painful, it hurts me,” the 21-year-old, who will play with Nadal in the Davis Cup in Spain, added: “I will try to make the most of the time I will be with him… to take advantage of his last moments on court as a professional.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion said Nadal had always been his idol, and it was thanks to him that he had become a professional tennis player. Alcaraz paid tribute “to everything he has done for tennis, for all the people, for me.”
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