Rafael Nadal delivers blunt verdict on shock Carlos Alcaraz losses | Tennis | Sport
Rafael Nadal has had his say after Carlos Alcaraz lost early in Miami (Image: Getty)
Carlos Alcaraz started the 2026 season on a high, completing the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, and then winning the ATP 500 event in Doha. He went unbeaten across his first 16 matches of the year before his run finally ended in the Indian Wells semi-finals, where he was ousted by Daniil Medvedev.
Then, the world No. 1 suffered a shock early defeat at the Miami Open, winning just one match before losing to Sebastian Korda. It’s the second successive year that Alcaraz has had a disappointing run at the Hard Rock Stadium – 12 months ago, he lost his opening match to David Goffin.
Following his 16-match winning streak to start the season, Alcaraz has now lost two of his last three matches. The 22-year-old broke to stay in the match when Korda served for it in set two, and even forced a decider. But the world No. 36 held his nerve to claim a 6-3 5-7 6-4 victory, while Alcaraz looked flustered and continued exchanging words with his team throughout the match.
However, fellow Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal believes Alcaraz’s recent defeats are no cause for concern. The retired 22-time Grand Slam champion was quizzed over Alcaraz’s third-round exit in Miami, and bluntly said there was nothing to worry about.
“I mean, when he’s just come off winning the Australian Open, he’s won seven Grand Slams, he’s No. 1 in the world… So, what? Is he supposed to win all of the matches of the year? That’s never going to happen. So there’s your answer,” Nadal said, addressing the media after he received an honorary doctorate from the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid.
A former world No. 1, Olympic gold medallist, and multi-Grand Slam champion, Nadal knows better than anyone what it is to deal with the pressure and expectation of being Spain’s top tennis star. And the 39-year-old wants the tennis world to lay off Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz has lost two of his last three matches (Image: Getty)
“Are we really going to worry about two defeats? I don’t think so. That doesn’t make sense, and we shouldn’t demand more from him,” he added. “I think what we all have to do is just congratulate Carlos and thank him for everything that he’s accomplishing.
“In the end, he’s bringing a number of achievements to Spanish sport that, maybe 25 or 30 years ago, we wouldn’t have imagined. Maybe we’ve all gotten too used to it. But I’ve never lost perspective on how difficult the things are that Carlos is doing – or any athlete from Spain, or any other country.”
While Alcaraz lost early in Miami, one of Nadal’s proteges is causing a stir at the Hard Rock Stadium. World No. 151 Martin Landaluce, a Rafa Nadal Academy alum, has come through qualifying to reach his first tour-level quarter-final. The Spaniard took out two top-20 seeds, Luciano Darderi and Karen Khachanov, and then stunned Alcaraz’s conqueror, Korda, in the fourth round.
And the 20-year-old qualifier credits Nadal and the academy for his success. Landaluce explained: “I’ve been training at Rafa’s place since I was 14, so I’ve definitely adopted part of his mentality, especially that typically Spanish fighting spirit. The fact of observing him, playing with him, talking and receiving his advice, but also seeing him train every day, all of that has left a huge mark on me.”
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