Spanish star players Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz battled against each other in an exciting exhibition match at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday. The duo faced off in a closely contested match, with both players taking one set each. During the dramatic 10-point tiebreak, Alcaraz converted his sixth match point for a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 14-12 win. The contest carried live by the streaming service Netflix was a chance for both the Spaniards to test their fitness ahead of the Indian Wells Masters. With the Netflix Slam not counting in their official head-to-head record, Nadal still enjoys a winning record against compatriot Alcaraz, having triumphed in two of their three tour-level encounters.
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, was sidelined for the majority of last year after suffering a hip injury at the 2023 Australian Open. He made his comeback at the Brisbane International in January, but a minor muscle tear caused the 37-year-old to withdraw from this season’s first Grand Slam in Melbourne.
Nadal postponed his comeback to action at the Qatar Open in February, saying he was “not ready to compete.” He told journalist Mary Joe Fernandez that he felt “much better than expected” after taking the opening set against Alcaraz. And he had enough in the tank to save five match points in the tiebreak before Alcaraz closed it off.
It was an encouraging effort ahead of Indian Wells, where Nadal has won three titles. In his most recent Indian Wells tournament, Nadal finished second to American Taylor Fritz in 2022. The Spanish veteran will play his first-round match at Indian Wells on Thursday, March 7. Alcaraz, who is seeded in the California desert, will receive a first-round bye.
World No.2 Alcaraz will attempt to become the first player to successfully defend his Indian Wells championship since Novak Djokovic’s three-peat in 2014-2016. However, the 20-year-old Spaniard has had his own injury issues of late, retiring from his first-round match at the Rio Open less than two weeks ago after rolling his right ankle on the second point against Thiago Monteiro.
It was another setback for the two-time Grand Slam winner, who lost to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and to Chilean Nicolas Jarry in the semi-finals of the Buenos Aires tournament. Alcaraz has not won an ATP title since his spectacular Wimbledon victory over Djokovic last July.
