Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal returned to the Australian Open on Saturday for the first time since his retirement, in a tribute to his career, in which he said that despite his shared history with Novak Djokovic, he will give his support to Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final.
“It will be a pleasure to watch the final live. Not being in a professional mentality for a while, the first thing I want is to enjoy a great battle and a great level of tennis again,” Nadal explained to a small group of international journalists, including EFE, excited about the decisive duel between Djokovic and Alcaraz on Sunday.
However, he also recalled the shared history he has with Novak, the current world number four, with whom he has “an incredible history” and whom he wishes “the best”, but he remembered that Carlos is Spanish and that makes him lean towards the Murcian
The 22-time Grand Slam champion did not hide his closeness to the Spaniard, with whom he has shared recent experiences. “I have a good relationship with him, we shared the Olympic Games, we shared the Spanish team… If Novak wins, I will be happy for him because, in a way, it is spectacular what he is doing. It would not be a drama for me, but if I have to support someone, I feel I have to support Carlos,” he said.
If Novak wins I will be happy for him because it is spectacular what he is doing
Four years since the title with Medvedev
Nadal, who managed to win the Australian Open twice – 2009 and 2022 – celebrated on Saturday four years since his historic triumph in Melbourne against Russian Daniil Medvedev in five sets.
“What happened four years ago is in the past, I don’t usually look back or live with nostalgia, but in the end I’m here to enjoy it from another point of view. What happened, happened, it was very nice and now I’m happy to live another stage of my life,” he said
About the semifinal between Alcaraz and Germany’s Alexander Zverev, third in the ATP ranking, Nadal highlighted the emotional component of the match.
“Yesterday was an exciting match, I think it had a bit of everything. It had drama because of what happened to Carlos in the third set and then, as is logical in these situations, the cramps, if you manage to hold on for a while, they usually pass; they are sometimes tension cramps,” he said.
Carlos Alcaraz’s semifinal had everything, drama; if you can hold on, cramps usually pass
“In the end, the match had everything it needs to have for people to get involved, to generate emotions in our sport and in the people who are watching it,” he added.
The former world number one was confident in the Spaniard’s recovery after the long semi-final of almost five and a half hours.
“I’m sure he’s going to recover. Although it was a long battle, the other semi-final was not short either and with a player who is a different age, so I think Carlos has even more chances to recover better than Novak,” he said
“Everyone makes their own way, but in the end we all do what we can at any given moment. When what happened in 2009 happened, he was very young and I guess he was not even aware of anything,” he said, referring to Alcaraz.
“When you grow up watching what others do, as a child, you can be inspired, get excited and passionate about what you have seen on television. It happened to me and I’m convinced that it happens to Carlos too,” he said.
When talking about the legacy of his generation, Nadal was clear. “We have managed to make tennis look like a sport that can be longer than it was. When I arrived on the circuit, at 28 or 29 years old you were a ‘super veteran’ and you had to retire. This generation has given a twist to what it is to extend the professional career,” he explained
The heavy favorite was Jannik, but he was playing against someone who has a very special history with this tournament
Finally, he referred to Jannik Sinner, the world number two, after his defeat against Djokovic the day before. “I think it was a tough match for Jannik, because the big favourite was him, but he was playing against a player with a very special history in this tournament. You learn from everything, from victories and defeats,” said Nadal, convinced that the Italian “is a very strong player mentally”
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