Rafael Nadal took to Instagram to send an emotional message to Carlos Alcaraz following his stunning display in the Wimbledon final. In what was billed as an epic confrontation between the 21-year-old and Novak Djokovic, the Spaniard turned in a dominant display to come through 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-4).
And the all-time great, who has won 22 Grand Slams, was soon on social media to offer his congratulations.
Nadal, whose career total of two titles at SW19 has already been matched by Alcaraz, posted a snapshot of his television as his countryman celebrated after converting match point.
And he wrote “Congratulations Carlos” alongside a Spanish flag and four trophy emojis which reflect the fact that Alcaraz is already a four-time Grand Slam champion, having added a second Wimbledon crown to his Australian and US Open titles.
What a great moment, another one,” Nadal added. He then signed off his message, already liked by almost 600,000 of his Instagram followers, with the words “Big Hug!!!!”
Nadal himself was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon before the tournament began due to fitness concerns, and is widely expected to retire from professional tennis at the end of 2024.
But attention has already turned to whether Alcaraz can surpass his career achievements, with the ‘King of Clay’ now the only Spaniard to hold more Slam titles than the sport’s newest marquee star.
Nadal currently has 22 to his name, two behind men’s overall leader Djokovic. Alcaraz has already been touted to surpass both icons, and is already the youngest player in history to have won a major tournament on three different surfaces.
And on Sunday afternoon he produced a performance that Nadal himself would have been proud of. He didn’t drop a single service game as he took the first two sets, and seemed odds-on for a routine victory as he served for the match at 5-4 in the third.
Then came the first sign of fallibility, blowing three match points as Djokovic battled back to force a tie-break. But Alcaraz regained his composure when it mattered, and Nadal wasn’t the only high-profile star to offer praise on social media.
Nick Kyrgios, who commented live on the final for the BBC, acknowledged the one-sided nature of the clash, writing on X: “Wow. Love Djokovic, but is this maybe the first time we can say the ‘changing of the guard’ ?!?!”
Alcaraz himself also posted, uploading a picture of himself lifting the silverware. And he simply wrote “We’re still dreaming” as a caption, but also reposted video footage of the winning point on Centre Court
