Carlos Alcaraz posts hilarious social media message after Rafael Nadal’s retirement

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Carlos Alcaraz will undoubtedly massively miss fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal after he retired from tennis.

Alcaraz was emotional ahead of Nadal’s retirement, with the pair having been in Malaga together for the Davis Cup Finals.

But Nadal lost his opener to Botic van de Zandschulp on the way to the Netherlands securing a 2-1 quarter-final win over Spain.

It was certainly an emotional event for the 22-time Grand Slam champion, with WTA stars Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek sad to see Nadal retire.

He will leave a huge hole across both men’s and women’s tennis, with the burden of Spanish success now largely on Alcaraz.

Carlos Alcaraz posts hilarious message after Rafael Nadal retires

Fortunately, he has already proven he is more than up to the challenge, with the 21-year-old having won four Grand Slam titles.

READ MORE: Roland Garros sends message to ‘King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal after he retires with a record 14 titles

And it seems that he has been able to recover pretty quickly from Nadal’s emotional farewell, with Alcaraz taking to his Instagram story to post an iconic meme representing boredom with the caption: “My life after Rafa Nadal has retired.”

The Netherlands send Rafael Nadal into retirement at the Davis Cup

It was by no means the perfect farewell for Nadal, with Van de Zandschulp playing the role of the villain at the Davis Cup Finals.

He beat the home favourite 6-4, 6-4, with Alcaraz then enacting revenge for his idol by winning his singles match with Tallon Griekspoor.

READ MORE: Rafael Nadal breaks 30-year record despite losing to Botic van de Zandschulp at the Davis Cup

But it was the Netherlands who would secure a semi-final spot, with Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof overcoming Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers in doubles.

The Netherlands now take on Germany in the last four, with the latter having impressively beaten Canada in their quarter-final.

Nadal meanwhile will have bittersweet feelings about the exit, with the veteran certain to be sad at bowing out early but also relieved to finally let his body have a rest after several years of intense physical exertion.