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Rafael Nadal Appears Healthy In Exhibition Loss To Carlos Alcaraz

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No one knows for sure how much longer Rafael Nadal will play tennis, but his loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Netflix NFLX Slam was an encouraging sign for him and his fans.

The 37-year-old Spanish tennis legend lost to the 20-year-old Alcaraz, 3-6, 6-4 (14-12) before a sellout crowd of 9,489 that included Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lindsey Vonn, Pau Gasol and Frances Tiafoe, but showed no apparent sign of any issues related to his hip.

“For him to be here in Vegas is a great sign that his body has recovered since Brisbane,” Jim Courier said on the Netflix broadcast.

“We’re hopeful that he can play the rest of the season,” added Patrick McEnroe.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion hadn’t played since Jan. 5 in Brisbane, when he pulled out of the Brisbane International due to a left hip injury. He has played a total of 12 official matches since the 2022 U.S. Open.

“For me it’s a good practice match, too,” he told Mary Joe Fernandez during the match.

Some thought Nadal would skip the upcoming “Sunshine Swing” on American hardcourts and instead focus on the clay court season and trying to win a 15th title at Roland Garros.

But Nadal is slated to play Indian Wells beginning next week.

In the first set, Nadal led 2-0 after Alcaraz double-faulted on break point. He mixed in a serve-and-volley to hold for a 3-0 lead and then hit a service winner to take the first set at 6-3.

Alcaraz came back to win the second set and the super tiebreak despite dealing with an injured right ankle suffered Feb. 20 in the Rio Open.

“He’s trying to move taking care of himself,” Alcaraz’s coach, former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, told Fernandez.

Eight-time major champion and Las Vegas native Andre Agassi said he encouraged Alcaraz to learn all he can from Nadal.

“He’s a guy you can say over the years has handled himself with class, dignity and also humility,” Agassi said. “It is authentically real. When you talk about the French Open, it is a lifetime away for him right now because all that matters is what he’s going to do (Saturday night), what he’s going to do (Sunday), what he’s going to do every step of his day.”

Alcaraz said he has taken a lot of inspiration from watching Nadal over the years, particularly noting his ability to fight for every point has left an especially lasting impression. That showed again in the exhibition when Nadal fought off five match points in the super tiebreaker.

“The way that he finds solutions when things are not going well, I think that’s incredible,” Alcaraz said. “I would say that’s the most I learned from him and I try to put in my own game.”

Nadal will now look ahead to Indian Wells beginning next week.

“I need to spend more time on the tour, at least to practice with the professional players even if not playing many official matches,” Nadal said the day before the exhibition, per the AP. “That’s the important thing right now, is to be in rhythm again. I was not able to play the way I expected. I had to pull out from Doha, so let’s see.”

Nadal initially said 2024 would likely be his final season on tour, but has not ruled continuing beyond then.

“It’s my body more than anything else because my mind is healthy,” Nadal said. “I have a passion for what I am doing.”

(The AP contributed reporting)

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