Carlos Alcaraz has now outlined his dream opponent for the upcoming Madrid Open.
He is due to kickstart his campaign this Friday but is yet to learn who his opponent will be.
This additional rest will be hugely appreciated by the 2023 Wimbledon champion, who has been nursing a forearm injury for the past few weeks.
However, that has not stopped him from revealing his aspirations to take on arguably the toughest test in tennis: Rafael Nadal on clay.
Carlos Alcaraz details dream Madrid Open opponent
Speaking ahead of the upcoming Madrid Open, Alcaraz seemingly faces a race for fitness given he was forced to pull out from both Monte Carlo and Barcelona due to that aforementioned ailment.
However, having yet to make a statement indicating his absence from this latest tournament, we will assume that he is back and ready to perform again.
This has been a trying year for the 20-year-old sensation, riddled with setbacks that have left some pundits worried.
And yet, his ambition remains as fiery as ever, outlining the opponent he cannot wait to hopefully face in Madrid: ‘It would be a great thing to play a final with Rafa in Madrid. Many people would like to see that match, I hope it happens. But tennis is complicated, every day you can feel a certain way, every match is different and you can never take anything for granted.
‘He will fight every match, he would be excited to be in a final in Madrid again. Like me, I’m going to try to be at my 100% and play at a good level to try to reach that final.’
We are hoping for a safe return from Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal
Whether Nadal or Alcaraz reach the final or not, fans will just be hoping that both come back from the tournament safe and with no fresh injury complaints.
After all, both Spaniards have suffered tough years, with fitness issues persisting throughout.
For the 37-year-old, this is scuppering what could well be his final year on tour. However, for the youngster, his progress is being hampered after a 2023 when he claimed his second Grand Slam title.
So with Roland Garros not too far away now, hopefully Madrid can provide the springboard that allows these two to rebuild their strength and confidence in their own bodies.
After all, we know just how devastating their respective technical quality can be.
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