World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz admits he is “so excited” to be playing against Rafael Nadal in a Las Vegas exhibition. On March 5th, Alcaraz will be taking on his idol Nadal in an exhibition match. In early March, the Las Vegas community will have a chance to watch an all-time great against a player who has been widely tipped to become the next all-time great.
“Are you ready? I’ll be playing Rafael Nadal at THE SLAM in Las Vegas! I’m so excited to be a part of this special one-night match hosted by MGM Regards. March 5th.at MGM Regards. See you there ,” Alcaraz announced on Twitter.
Are you ready? 😎 I’ll be playing @RafaelNadal at THE SLAM in Las Vegas! 🔥 I’m so excited to be a part of this special one-night match hosted by @MGMRewards!
📍 March 5th @MGMGrand. See you there! 😀
🎟️ https://t.co/mwMhXnlP2n pic.twitter.com/RJt70hZvh0 – Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) December 7, 2022
Alcaraz has a great level of respect and appreciation for Nadal
After winning his first Grand Slam title at the US Open, 19-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest No. 1 in tennis history.
Then, Alcaraz became the youngest year-end No. 1 in tennis history. Nadal, who competed at the ATP Finals, had a chance to overtake Alcaraz at the top spot and finish the season as the Year-End No. 1. After Nadal failed to make it past the group stage in Turin, Alcaraz officially became the Year- End No. 1.
When asked about finishing ahead of Nadal, Alcaraz insisted he would have been happy even if the 36-year-old finished ranked ahead of him. “It’s incredible that for so many years it was Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray, and then a 19-year-old ‘Chico’ comes along and succeeds in this.
It means so much to me. Being a part of tennis history alongside these legends is just an incredible feeling. All my life, I have gone with Rafa and here too, I wanted him to win. Even if he had taken the number 1 from me, I would have been happy,” Alcaraz said of finishing ahead of Nadal.
Earlier this year, Nadal was getting constantly asked about Alcaraz. Nadal then told the media the best thing they could do for Alcaraz is to stop all the comparisons.