Four years ago, Rafa won the second Australian Open of his career, and tomorrow he will watch the match between Carlos and Novak.

Four years ago, he won the Australian Open with an extraordinary comeback from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev. The second and last of his career. Today, Rafa Nadal is back at Melbourne Park for a Kia event, and tomorrow he will be in the front row to watch what will be a historic final between Carlos Alcaraz, his young heir, and Novak Djokovic, his old comrade-in-arms.

However, you can’t control your heart and your flag, and it matters little that if the Murcian wins, he will surpass him as the youngest to win the Grand Slam of his career: “I want to enjoy tennis at the highest level. Novak and I have had an incredible history over all these years of competing for the most important achievements, and I wish him all the best. But obviously Carlos is from my country. I mean, I have a good relationship with him. We shared the Olympics together, the Spanish national team jersey and also the Davis Cup.“

preference—  In short, his preference is quite clear: ”If Novak wins, I’ll be happy for him, because in some ways what he’s doing at this stage of his career is truly spectacular. I wouldn’t see it as a tragedy. But if I have to support someone, well, I feel like supporting Carlos.“ Then, a touch of nostalgia and healthy envy: ”Novak is not at the end of his career, but he is still very, very competitive at an age when it is difficult to be so. So I have total respect for him, he deserves all the credit for his passion. If I hadn’t been so injured, maybe I would still be here playing…”