Carlos Alcaraz said “I did it for Rafa” after putting Spain level with the Netherlands in their Davis Cup quarter-final.
Rafael Nadal is set to retire at this week’s team tournament and he lost potentially his final match to Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in the first match of the tie.
Alcaraz will now be back out in the doubles to try and extend his compatriot’s career by helping Spain advance to Friday’s semi-final.
The world No. 3 recovered after going an early break down against top Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, winning 7-6(0) 6-3. It means Spain is still alive in the quarter-final.
Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers will face Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof in a winner-take-all doubles match. Koolhof is also retiring after this tournament.
After winning the match between the No. 1 singles players, the four-time Grand Slam champion admitted that he “did it for Rafa”.
Asked whether he’d kept an eye on Nadal’s contest with Van de Zandschulp, the world No. 3 said: “Obviously I watched the whole match. I had the chance to watch first set here in real life then I have to stay focused on my match.
It is an emotional day but once you step on the court you try to forget everything, you try to show your best tennis. It’s the Davis Cup, it’s a really important tournament for me, for everyone.”
The 21-year-old knew the pressure was on his shoulders to keep Spain alive. And he wanted to ensure that Nadal didn’t hang up his racket just yet.
Alcaraz continued: “I tried to play my best tennis to get the win and to give Spain the chance to qualify to win this day. And yeah, I did it for Rafa, so let’s see how it’s gonna be in doubles, hopefully we are gonna get the win.”
The top-ranked Spaniard was broken to love to trail 2-4 early on but he broke straight back and dominated in the first-set tiebreak. Assessing his performance, he added: “ I started the match pretty well, it was just a game that I lost the focus a little bit.
“I missed some easy forehands, let’s say I let him make the break. I tried to stay positive, to stay there. I had my chances on his serves but I couldn’t take it at the beginning.
“But I thought that my chance was going to happen again so I just stayed there playing good tennis. I’m really, really happy in the end that I got it in two sets.”
Even if Alcaraz and Granollers get the job done and put Spain into the last four, Nadal may not play another match. After losing likely the final duel of his career, the 22-time Major winner claimed the captain shouldn’t pick him for future rubbers.
“If I were the captain, probably I would change, I don’t put myself out the next day,” Nadal explained.
“If we go through, that’s my feeling. But at the end, it is not my decision, and I’m sure that he will make the best decision possible for the team.”
