Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal faced off in the Netflix Slam 2024 in a one-off game in Las Vegas. Alcaraz was thrilled to rub shoulders with his ‘idol’ Rafael Nadal and play in front of a packed crowd. But before the start of the match, Alcaraz performed one of Nadal’s famous pre-match routines. While both the players were at the net during toss, Alcaraz did the big Nadal warm-up jump in front of the Spanish superstar himself.
While this could be just for a bit of fun, Alcaraz could have been using mind games against Nadal as well. This move from the 20-year-old impressed the fans and the tennis community on X replied to it hilariously. Alcaraz has often hailed Nadal as his hero growing up and now, with the young Spaniard using similar moves as Nadal, people are calling him a ‘good student’.
Fans used an iconic Harry Potter reference to sum up the Alcaraz warm-up jump against Nadal. The memes started to flow in and the fans enjoyed the match as well as the sub plots brought to the game by the Spanish duo.
Alcaraz using Rafa Nadal’s famous pre-game jump at the net pic.twitter.com/zRjmCfE8Pd
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 3, 2024
that’s what gave him the momentum to take the first set,
nadal: “detention potter”
also nadal – gets his robes set on fire by alcaraz— _e.xa (@_eexa) March 3, 2024
I think it even caught Rafa by su
— LoveTennis34568 (@blue4888) March 4, 2024
Prodigy learns from the master
— Rogaelovic (@rogaelovic6554) March 3, 2024
Both Iga and him look ridiculous doing this
— ▕⃝⃤ Gia (@Giacn11) March 3, 2024
This new generation is sooo good.
But but we know where it came from https://t.co/173l0UOCJq— Tetiana (@_smilesback) March 3, 2024
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz thrill fans at Netflix Slam 2024
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal put on a show for 12,000 fans in Las Vegas at the Netflix Slam 2024 and ofcourse, those tuned in to watch the match live on Netflix from across the world. In a closely contested match, Carlos Alcaraz edged past Nadal in a tie-breaker. Alcaraz won the match 3-6 6-4 (14-12) and looked in great shape. There were injury doubts about both the players coming into the event as Alcaraz and Nadal were both injured from their previous appearances.
Carlos Alcaraz had to retire in the first round at the Rio Open due to an ankle injury. The young Spanish star looked in severe pain and was a doubt coming into the Netflix Slam. However, the 20-year-old looked great on court with his movements and did not look in pain.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal suffered an injury in Brisbane on his comeback trail, but his hip seems to be fine now. Now, both Alcaraz and Nadal will play at the Indian Wells 2024 starting March 6.
