Idol Rafael Nadal Emerges as Secret Fuel Behind Carlos Alcaraz’s Gritty French Open Fight Against Adversity

“My hero was Rafael Nadal, and it’s still Rafael Nadal. Since I started playing tennis, I look up to Rafa every time that I watch his matches,” Carlos Alcaraz said in a previous interview. Just a week ago, the 14-time champion, Rafael Nadal, received an emotional Roland Garros sendoff in front of a packed Court Philippe-Chatrier. Emotions soared high as he received a 90-second standing ovation as he walked to a lectern. A video montage of his heroics on Parisian clay, ending with the message ‘Merci Rafa’, was put on display on the big screen as crowds chanted ‘Rafa’ after seeing him bidding farewell while wiping the tear drops from his eyes. He was presented with a series of parting gifts, and guess what? One of them was the unveiling of a plaque on this iconic court displaying his footprint etched into the clay he ruled for almost two decades. What does this plaque mean to players like Alcaraz, who have grown up idolizing Rafa?

Talking about this emotional tribute from the French Open organizers, Rafael Nadal claimed, “I didn’t know anything about the ceremony. [The] only thing that I knew before going there was going to be a video when I go on, then my speech, and then a couple of surprises. They didn’t want me to know that. Then when I saw [it], I thought it was going to be just for this year. Knowing that’s going to be forever there, it’s a present that I can’t describe in words.”

Further on, Nadal said, “It’s always going to be a huge honor and very, very emotional to have this spot on the most important court of my tennis career, without a doubt. It’s difficult to describe the feeling, but it’s something that really touched me. [It was] very, very special.” If we take a look at his legacy in this tournament, he holds a 112-4 record here. No other player has won the same Grand Slam title more than 11 times. It took two decades’ worth of titles, sweat, and tears to earn this stunning plaque on Philippe-Chatrier.

Speaking about this tribute to the tennis legend, Iga Swiatek said, “I’m happy that Roland Garros did that to Rafa because he deserves you know, the best and he deserves to be appreciated.” On the other hand, American stars Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe suggested them to have the whole court be named after Rafael Nadal. What did his biggest fan, Carlos Alcaraz, have to say on this? “He deserves. I think he’s the guy who deserves more than anyone else…Probably if I have a really difficult moment on a match, I will go close and hopefully, you know take a little bit of spirit from Rafa,” said Alcaraz

“In difficult moments I will go to it” Players REACT to Nadal plaque | From Paris with Clay by @ENGIEgroup

Watch here : https://t.co/pCmJjTFBUW#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/da8EgDupAX

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2025

At the 2025 French Open, Carlos Alcaraz has played three matches on Philippe-Chatrier so far, and guess what? All three of them went to four sets! He defeated America’s Ben Shelton in a hard-fought battle by 7-6(8),6-3,4-6,6-4 in the fourth round. Is this iconic plaque the secret to his recent successes in this stadium in 2025? Well, he’ll be facing another American, Tommy Paul, in the same venue in the QF. Time will tell if the defending champion can keep this magical run intact, but what did he say after beating Shelton in the fourth round?

“I fought against myself” – Carlos Alcaraz drops his honest opinion on his fourth-round match

This was Carlos Alcaraz‘s third meeting with Ben Shelton. But in the previous two matches, the match ended in his favor in straight sets. However, this time the intentions of the American were vividly portrayed right from the start of this epic battle. However, after securing the victory in this 3-hour and 19-minute clash, Alcaraz has set up quite a few records beside his name. What are those?

Carlos Alcaraz has now become the first man born in the 2000s to win 100 matches on clay. Other than that, he has now also earned a place in an elite list featuring his “idol,” Rafael Nadal, and Bjorn Borg. Alcaraz currently has an 84% winning percentage on clay. Nadal sits at the top of that list with a staggering 90.5%, while it’s 86.1% for Borg.

Following this massive victory against Shelton, Alcaraz was heard saying, “Today I fought against myself, against the mind. I just tried to calm myself. In some moments, I was mad, I was angry with myself. Talking not really good things but I am really happy to not let those thoughts play against me. I tried to calm myself down and I tried to keep going. That is what I tried.“

He is now eyeing his fifth major title in his career and also the third clay court title of the season (after Monte Carlo and Rome). Carlos Alcaraz has a 4-2 record against Tommy Paul, and if he wins this match, he’ll get inches closer to creating yet another historic milestone. What’s that? If Carlos Alcaraz wins the title this year, he’ll become the third man in this century to successfully defend the Roland Garros title (after Rafael Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten). Do you think Alcaraz can reach this milestone?

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