Rafael Nadal and Coco Gauff send messages to Carlos Alcaraz after Italian Open triumph
Rafael Nadal and Coco Gauff were two of the stars of the tennis world to react to Carlos Alcaraz’s Italian Open triumph.
Alcaraz saw off world No 1 Jannik Sinner 7-6(5), 6-1 in the Rome final to claim his first title in the Italian capital.
The world No 2 has now won 19 ATP titles, including seven Masters 1000 crowns spread across five different tournaments (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome).
The four-time Grand Slam champion holds a sublime 15-1 record on clay this year, having secured the Monte Carlo crown and reached the Barcelona Open final at his previous two events.
The 22-year-old Spaniard now holds a 7-4 record against Sinner, having won the pair’s last four encounters.
In a post on Instagram, Sinner wrote: “Not the result we hoped for, but I’m grateful for yesterday’s match, it was a great tournament for me overall.
“Thank you to everyone who cheered me on, both in the stands and at home, your support means the world. Big congrats to @carlitosalcarazz and his team for a great performance.
“GRAZIE (Thank you) Roma, ci vediamo presto (we will see each other soon).”
Alcaraz marked his victory with an Instagram post captioned “ROMA” along with emojis of a trophy, a heart and the Italian flag.
Nadal, a record 10-time champion at the Italian Open, replied to Alcaraz with a simple message of approval.
“¡Enhorabuena (Congratulations),” the 22-time major winner wrote.
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WTA world No 2 Gauff, who was a runner-up to Jasmine Paolini in the women’s singles event in Rome, also gave her reaction.
“Congratulations,” said the 2023 US Open champion.
Alize Cornet, a French WTA star who reached a career-high ranking of 11th, gave Alcaraz the ultimate compliment as she wrote: “The best !!!!”
Fernando Verdasco and Roberto Bautista Agut, two stars of Spanish tennis, both commented on Alcaraz’s post with congratulatory emojis.
In his press conference, Alcaraz was asked if his final display against Sinner was his best performance of the tournament.
“Yeah, probably. I think today was a great level I think for both of us, especially the first set. It was really, really tight, serving two set points,” Alcaraz said.
“I knew at the beginning, the matches against Jannik are always really tactical matches. I think today I started the match really well. Tactically since the beginning till the last ball, I didn’t lose the focus, which is great for me.
“Yeah, probably one of the best matches I played so far in terms of level, maintain all the level during the whole match. So I’m just really proud about that.”
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