Carlos Alcaraz reveals what Rafael Nadal told him ahead of final and name-drops stars who sent him texts
Carlos Alcaraz received “countless” messages following his Wimbledon title win, but his idol Rafael Nadal sent him texts before and after his epic final clash against Novak Djokovic.
The 20-year-old Alcaraz is the toast of the tennis world after he defeated Djokovic in the Wimbledon men’s final to win his second Grand Slam following his success at the US Open last September.
With the win, he denied his illustrious rival the chance to win a record-equalling eighth title at SW19 and also stopped him from pulling further ahead of Nadal in the race for most Grand Slams as Djokovic remained on 23 – one ahead of Nadal.
Ahead of the final, Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero advised him not to spend too much time on his phone and he listened.
In an interview with Marca, the youngster admitted it was difficult to switch off, saying: “That’s the truth. I’m a 20-year-old boy who has a lot of things to improve, and one of them is the telephone. But yes, I was more removed than when I played the semi-finals at Roland Garros.”
Of course, he didn’t completely go phone-free in the build-up to the big match against Djokovic as he still checked his messages and of course Nadal popped up in his inbox.
Asked what Nadal said, he replied: “Yes, yes, he sent me a message. First, he sent it to me to wish me luck for the final and I appreciate it. That someone like him, an idol of my childhood and still is, send you strength and luck for the most important moment of your life, is something to admire.”
And after his win there was another message from the tennis great as the 22-time major champion wrote: “Congratulations on your victory. Enjoy it because these moments are magical and unique.”
But Nadal was far from the only one to flood his inbox after the win as two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso and American and NBA basketball star Jimmy Butler.
“There are countless. It’s really amazing,” Alcaraz said.
He continued: “I was also congratulated by Fernando Alonso, who is someone I admire. Will Smith surprised me that he congratulated me. My friend Jimmy Butler…
“There have been a lot of messages that have made me happy. I don’t want to leave out any of them because there have been many sports legends, artists? I saw that Sebastián Yatra dedicated a song to me and said “this is for you. That all these people congratulate you is exciting.”
