Carlos Alcaraz said having Rafael Nadal watching in the crowd helped drive him to a maiden Australian Open title on Sunday and made the win “even more special”.
The 22-year-old downed Serbian great Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to become the youngest man in the Open era to win all four majors.
He had already claimed two titles each at Wimbledon and the French and US Opens.
In doing so he surpassed legendary countryman Nadal, who was two years older when he did the same.
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Nadal greeted Alcaraz in the bowels of the stadium afterwards and they hugged and exchanged warm words.
“I mean, this moment is really special, but having Rafa in the stands, it made it even more special, to be honest,” said Alcaraz.
“Lifting the trophy for the first time in Australia was crazy. A dream come true. I dreamt about getting an Australian Open and completing the career Grand Slam.”
Alcaraz had to rouse himself after a more-than five-hour, five-set epic in the semi-finals against Alexander Zverev, where he suffered cramps and battled back from a 3-5 deficit in the fifth set.
He said he drew inspiration from a similar situation involving Nadal at the 2009 Australian Open.
Back then, the top-ranked Nadal outlasted fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in what was then the longest match in the tournament’s history at 5hrs 14mins.
Nadal went on to beat Roger Federer in the final.
“After the semi-final, I just thought about that semi-final in 2009 he played against Verdasco, and then he came back physically and played such a great final against Federer and won,” said Alcaraz.
“So I was thinking a little bit about it.
“It’s just about pushing through and having him there, I was like watching him and he gave me some, like, good spirit, good mindset.”
Before the match, 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal, who retired from tennis in 2024, tipped Alcaraz to win.
AFP
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