Carlos Alcaraz selected to not talk about Rafael Nadal's potential retirement after the 37-year-old confirmed he was seemingly enjoying his closing Madrid Open. The world No. 3 mentioned he wasn't able to think about skilled tennis with out the 22-time Grand Slam champion. Alcaraz himself made a successful return to the Madrid Open, the place he solely determined to compete sooner or later earlier than his opening match after struggling a forearm damage.

Nadal has been the speak of the match on the Madrid Open as he confessed that he was seemingly enjoying in his house match for the ultimate time and chose to compete for personal reasons despite feeling hesitant on the court. The former world No. 1 has typically hinted on the risk that he'll retire on the finish of 2024.

As Madrid prepares to say farewell to the 37-year-old, Alcaraz was requested in regards to the void Nadal will go away when he ultimately ends his profession. But the two-time Major winner did not need to give it some thought. "I don't want to imagine it yet. Like every fan of Rafa and tennis, no one wants to imagine the circuit without Rafa," he mentioned after his opening win over Alexander Shevchenko.

"I want to enjoy him as much as possible, I know that's what he wants and what excites him. He is working to be competitive, and every time he can do it I will be there to enjoy it. We don't have to think about the life after tennis, we are going to live in the moment, try to watch him as many matches as possible and enjoy his tennis."

Alcaraz himself has been battling some damage points over the previous few weeks for granted forearm situation pressured him to drag out of the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open. His 6-2 6-1 victory over Shevchenko marked his first match on the clay this season and his first outing because the Miami Open, the place he misplaced within the quarter-final.

After sealing a convincing win, the 20-year-old confessed that he solely made the decision to compete sooner or later earlier than his first match. The two-time Madrid Open champion defined: "Yesterday was the moment when I decided that I can play. I didn't pick up the racket again until Monday. I came without knowing what was going to happen, the intensity was increasing. Yesterday when I played a set with Medvedev, not noticing anything, I said I was ready to play. Until yesterday I was thinking about whether to play or not."

Despite the convincing scoreline, Alcaraz admitted that he nonetheless could not hit his forehand at full energy due to the damage."I didn't hit my forehand 100 per cent. I hit it softer than I used to hit it," he continued. "But the first thing that I was thinking about when I was stepping on the court is to stay healthy, to not feel anything in the forearm. That's the main thing for me.

"And then it was the pictures or the extent. I used to be actually pleased to not really feel something within the forearm, and after that, I might improve my depth. I might improve my forehand a bit bit, and it was nice for me this match."

Alcaraz, who is defending the title in Madrid, is now hoping that he can get back to his best in time for next month's French Open. He added: "This one was the primary match since Miami. You know, I believe I performed a extremely good degree, hopefully hold going and play extra matches.

"To play on clay court, you have to be a lot of hours on court just to be ready for the biggest stages and find your best version of yourself on clay. Right now I'm thinking to be better or get better every day, and I'm thinking to be closer to my 100 per cent here in Madrid, and let's see how it's going to be over the next few weeks. But the main thing is to be ready for the next tournament and obviously Roland Garros."