Carlos Alcaraz is among the tennis stars full of emotion as Rafael Nadal prepares for his farewell event before retiring.
Nadal will retire after the Davis Cup Finals, where he is representing Spain on home soil in Malaga this week.
Alcaraz is also playing at the Davis Cup Finals, with tennis legend Roger Federer sending Nadal an emotional message before the tournament.
The Swiss icon played out several entertaining battles with Nadal before retiring from the sport after the 2022 Laver Cup.
Having played alongside Nadal at that event, Federer will now undoubtedly be watching on as his old rival takes to the court for one last competition.
Carlos Alcaraz reacts to Roger Federer’s message to Rafael Nadal
His farewell message to Nadal will have been warmly welcomed by the Spaniard, but it has also caught the eye of his compatriot Alcaraz.
Accompanying his message on Instagram, Federer wrote “Vamos Rafa,” with Alcaraz commenting with a teary eyes emoji.
Can Carlos Alcaraz take over from Rafael Nadal?
Nadal has won a simply stunning 92 ATP Tour-level titles throughout his career, with 22 Grand Slam titles going his way.
That is two ahead of Federer in second in the all-time men’s list, with Novak Djokovic leading the way on 24.
Nadal is, however, the undisputed King of Clay with his record 14 French Open titles, a competition Alcaraz won earlier this year.
The latter is doing his utmost to close the gap on Nadal, with Alcaraz already boasting four Grand Slam wins aged just 21.
Two of those have come at Wimbledon, with his other title coming at the US Open, meaning only the Australian Open title eludes him.
Alcaraz played alongside Nadal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while the latter is set to retire with a 2-1 head-to-head record over the former.
Federer also shared his message to Nadal on X, which touched the heart of Team Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, who wrote: “As a sports star you always aim to be your best, and these two were the very best for a lot of their careers, but what strikes me about this post from Roger is the deep friendship and respect they had for each other despite being fierce competitors.
“It’s the stories they shared together along their individual journeys that seem to mean the most to Roger. Thank you for the small incite here, and thank you both for inspiring me as I followed both of your careers.”
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