Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz admitted that it’s not easy to play at home as he revealed he would like to get a shot at Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Masters.
Alcaraz, who will turn 19 on Thursday, is already a big star as he is a Masters champion and a top-10 player.
The Madrid crowd won’t be excited only about Nadal this week as Alcaraz’s match are expected to draw lots of attention in the Spanish capital.
“It’s not easy to play at home,” Alcaraz said, per Sportskeeda. “There is a lot of expectation, a lot of people that want to see you doing well. But I’m a player that turns things around. As you said, you know, I take that as a motivation, as an extra punch, extra help.”
Alcaraz could meet Nadal in the quarterfinal
Alcaraz, seeded at No. 7, has a first round bye in Madrid.
After a first round bye, Alcaraz plays Nikoloz Basilashvili, who defeated Fabio Fognini in the first round.
“Well, my birthday is on Thursday. I have a match on Tuesday. Hopefully I will be able to play on my birthday. I wish for that. It’s a special day, where last year I was able to play against Rafa, and this year I wish I will be able to play the match on my birthday on Thursday. Hopefully I will be able to win this year,” Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz and Nadal could potentially meet in the Madrid quarterfinal.
Alcaraz arrived to Madrid in a fine form, having won Barcelona a week ago.
On the other side, there is a question mark regarding Nadal’s condition as he is playing just his first tournament of the clay season.
“Yeah, yeah, I have checked the draw, but, you know, it’s a Masters 1000. Here each match is very complicated. Possibly in the first round, it can be a final of an ATP. You have to look at it match by match, and I wish that I will be able to face Rafa a year later,” Alcaraz added.