Stronger than the wind and the ardor of his 17-year-old younger brother Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal won his 20th match in a row in 2022 to reach the final of the Indian Wells Masters 1000, where the surprising American Taylor awaits him. Fritz. To preserve his invincibility, the Spaniard world number 4, record holder of the number of Grand Slams won (21) since his coronation at the Australian Open at the end of January, had to put himself in ultimate warrior mode, facing his talented compatriot destined to become his successor sooner or later.
But not right now. Because Nadal, who found himself facing an opponent of a completely different caliber than the one he had corrected in Madrid last year (6-1, 6-2) for their first confrontation, did not at all the intention of passing on the slightest torch. And he proved it by winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in 3h12, after a very big fight, the outcome of which was all the more uncertain, as the violent wind and swirling has long disrupted proceedings.
Nadal salutes the tenacity of his announced successor
“It was a very difficult match. Carlos has a very high level. He has all the assets, youth, physique. I approached the meeting as if I were playing against one of the best in the world, which is the reality,” Nadal paid tribute to him. “I thought I could win in the third set. I had break opportunities. So many points that I almost won…but he beat me in those exact moments. “Rafa” has a thousand lives”, for his part commented on the winner at a press conference.
Nadal, who was thought to have been lost to tennis last year after a left foot injury that continues to plague him, has once again demonstrated how insatiable he is and thirsty for victories. On Sunday, he will try to lift the trophy a 4th time in the Californian desert after 2007, 2009 and 2013. He would then equal Novak Djokovic in the number of Masters 1000 won (37). His rival will be a neophyte in the final of a competition in this category, the astonishing Taylor Fritz (20th) who dismissed 7-5, 6-4 Andrey Rublev (7th), yet a favorite.