Carlos Alcaraz has revealed his conversation with Darwin Blanch as the 16-year-old gears up to take on Rafael Nadal in Madrid.
Alcaraz also marked his 18th birthday by playing his first match against the 22-time Grand Slam champion at the Madrid Open.
The world No. 3 is familiar with Blanch, as the American trains at the same academy, and they have previously practised together.
Blanch faces a significant challenge in only his second-ever match at the ATP Tour level as he squares off against Nadal at the Madrid Open.
Although Nadal is still recovering from an abdominal injury and has participated in only two other tournaments this year, he remains the overwhelming favourite as the 'King of Clay' and a five-time former champion at the tournament. However, Blanch will have the opportunity to learn from Alcaraz, who also faced the former world No. 1 at the Caja Mágica as an up-and-coming teenager.
Blanch trains at Juan Carlos Ferrero's Equelite Academy and has frequently acted as a sparring partner for Alcaraz. The two-time Major winner disclosed that he provided the 16-year-old with some words of encouragement before his encounter with Nadal. “Well I’ve practised with him a few times in the academy,” Alcaraz said in Madrid.
“I know that he has good tennis, he plays really well at his age. I told him just to enjoy the moment, I told him that this moment is going to be really helpful to his career, that it was really important to mine when I faced him in 2021 the first time.”
Alcaraz endured a 6-1 6-2 drubbing on his 18th birthday at the Madrid Open in 2021. This remains his most recent defeat at the tournament. A year later, he came back and defeated both Nadal and Novak Djokovic on his way to the title, and he successfully defended his crown in 2023.
“I learned a lot from that match and living this experience is really helpful. So [I told him] just to enjoy the moment and give himself the opportunity to enjoy and get experience," the 20-year-old added.
Blanch is seeking his first victory at tour level after losing to Tomas Machac in his inaugural ATP match at the Miami Open last month. The American has been gaining experience on the clay courts on the ITF circuit and reached the semi-final in Telde last week, but his upcoming match against Nadal will be a significant step up.
