Rafael Nadal’s uncle has begged Carlos Alcaraz to let him win one final trophy before he walks away from professional tennis at the end of next year. Alcaraz recently laid down a huge marker by ending Novak Djokovic’s winning streak at Wimbledon, with the Spaniard clinching his first title at SW19 earlier this month.
Nadal was forced to miss the tournament as he continues to recover from a long-term injury, which he suffered back in January before announcing that 2024 is likely to be his final year in the sport. His uncle Toni has since joked that Alcaraz, who has emerged as the 37-year-old’s natural heir in recent years, should let Nadal win one last title before he eventually hangs up his racket.
“Rafa is fine, on vacation, wanting to hit the court in 2024,” said Toni. “Let’s hope Alcaraz lets us win something then. He is excited to come back and retire on the track.”
Nadal has not played a competitive match since this year’s Australian Open, where he crashed out in the second round after suffering a hip injury while playing against Mackenzie McDonald. He will be desperate to round off his career by winning at least one more title when he eventually returns to action, although it remains to be seen if Alcaraz will stop him from doing so before the end of next year.
There is certainly no bad blood between the Spanish duo, who have heaped public praise on each other on multiple occasions since Alcaraz joined Nadal in the professional ranks five years ago. The newly-crowned Wimbledon champion even revealed that Nadal had been in touch to wish him good luck in the final against Djokovic earlier this month.
“He [Nadal] sent me a message,” explained Alcaraz. “First he sent it to wish me luck for the final and I appreciate it. That someone like him, an idol of my childhood and who continues to be so, sends you strength and luck for the most important moment of your life is something to admire.”
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Meanwhile, it seems as though Alcaraz would be open to playing doubles with Nadal while he still has the chance, with the two-time Grand Slam winner revealing to El Partidazo de Cope that he would be interested in partnering his idol at next year’s Olympic Games. The tennis events will be staged at Roland Garros, where Nadal has enjoyed many of the best moments of his career at the French Open.
“It would be a dream to live the experience of playing doubles with your idol,” insisted Alcaraz, who expressed a similar view earlier this year when he said: “Let’s see how he’s doing and how he’s going, you know, in this year. Hopefully, he’s going great but for me, it could be a dream to play doubles with him.”
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