Sunday will see Carlos Alcaraz Garfia make his debut in the men’s singles tournament at the Madrid Open, with the teenager set to face Adrian Mannarino in the first round.
As the draw has panned out, the winner of Sunday’s tie will be rewarded with a second-round meeting with Rafael Nadal in the Spanish capital.
For 17-year-old Alcaraz, the chance to go up against his legendary compatriot would be the stuff of dreams.
The right-hander has been on the ATP circuit since making his tour debut at the Rio Open in February 2020, reaching the second round after beating Albert Ramos Vinolas in the first.
At the start of 2021, Alcaraz qualified for his first Grand Slam at the age of 17, just like Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
The youngster reached the second round in Melbourne, knocking out Botic van der Zanschulp in the first round before going out to Mikael Ymer.
A wildcard pick for the 2021 Madrid Open, Alcaraz needs to get past Mannarino if he is to earn that shot against Nadal in the second round.
What can we expect from Alcaraz in Madrid?
Similarly to Nadal, Alcaraz seems to specialise on his clay court game. Since 2019, he’s worked with Juan Carlos Ferrero placeholder image – a former French Open finalist during his playing days.
Ferrero, who has previously coached Alexander Zverev, was recognised as one of the best clay court players of his generation.
The Madrid Open is, of course, a chance for players to get their clay court game in shape ahead of the French Open at Roland Garros.
Alcaraz, who is currently ranked 120th in the world, has it all to do if he’s going to cause an upset against world no.33 Mannarino on Sunday.
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