Rome Masters sensation Fabian Marozsan, 23, revealed his admiration for Rafael Nadal shortly after stunning Carlos Alcaraz.
Qualifier Marozsan, ranked at No 135 in the world, caused one of the biggest upsets of the season by picking up a 6-3 7-6 (4) win over second-seeded Alcaraz in the Rome third round.
In Rome, Marozsan is making his ATP debut.
After beating Alcaraz, Marozsan expressed desire to also meet his idol Nadal one day.
“Rafa Nadal, he was my idol. I’m just trying to play against him maybe one day. That’s the goal for me. He was my idol because of his mentality. He’s a big fighter, he doesn’t want to lose any points,” Marozsan said on Tennis Channel, via Sportskeeda.
Fabian Marozsan: “Rafa Nadal… He was my idol. I’m just trying to play against him maybe 1 day. That’s the goal for me… He was my idol bc of his mentality. He’s a big fighter, he doesn’t want to lose any points.”
Rafa inspired so much of this generation ā¤ļø
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ā The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 15, 2023
Marozsan would like to meet Nadal after stunning Alcaraz
After causing one of the biggest upsets in recent tennis memory, Marozsan was a bit lost for words.
āItās not easy to say something, Iām very, very happy. I couldnāt imagine this. it was my dream last night. Now itās true, I am very, very happy about this. I just tried to do something special, maybe winning a few games or a set or something like this, and now I just beat the [World No. 2],” Marozsan said.
Also, Marozsan said that he absolutely enjoyed every part of the match.
āEverything was perfect today. The crowd, the weather, the court. Iām just happy Iām doing my job. I think in the tie-break it was 1/4 and I won six points in a row. Itās amazing, I donāt know what happened during the points, I just tried to hit back every ball and tried to do my best. I tried to find out how to win points against him in that tough situation, and it just happened. I donāt know what to say,” Marozsan said.
In his next match, Marozsan plays against Borna Coric.