Rafael Nadal after Netflix Slam loss: "Good thing is I will not face Carlos Alcaraz many times, but as a fan, I will keep enjoying him a long time"

Rafael Nadal has shared his admiration for Carlos Alcaraz following their thrilling clash in the Netflix Slam.

On Sunday, March 3, Nadal and Alcaraz squared off against each other in a riveting exhibition match at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The duo locked horns in a closely contested encounter, splitting the first two sets. During the tense 10-point tiebreak, Alcaraz converted his sixth match point to claim a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 14-12 victory.

Despite the loss, Rafael Nadal was in high spirits as he expressed his delight at being able to compete against Carlos Alcaraz after injury setbacks had kept him on the sidelines for the last two years.

"It was great. I was supposed to be here last year; unfortunately, due to some issues, I was not able to be here, I enjoyed a lot. Congratulations to Carlos for a great match," he said during the trophy presentation.

"And on a personal level, yeah great. I was not able to play a lot for the last two years so to play here with Carlos in front of an amazing crowd in Las Vegas means a lot to me. Super happy,' he added.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged the enormous challenge of facing Alcaraz and hailed the World No. 2's remarkable accomplishments at just 20.

The 37-year-old also humorously remarked that the bright side is that he won't have to face Alcaraz too often on the court but can look forward to enjoying his success as a fan.

"Well, first of all it's a big challenge. I mean, it's a completely different generation. I think in Spain, we should be very very happy about having somebody like Carlos coming. You know, he's an amazing player at only 20 years old," he said.

"Already, he won two Slams and couple of very important tournaments. So yeah, the good thing is, as a player, I will not face (him) many times, but as a fan, I will keep enjoying him for such a long time hopefully," he added.

With the Netflix Slam not counting in their official head-to-head record, Rafael Nadal enjoys a winning record against Carlos Alcaraz, having triumphed in two of their three tour-level encounters.

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Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz set to compete at Indian Wells Masters next

The Netflix Slam

The Netflix Slam will serve as an important precursor for Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz's campaigns at the Indian Wells Masters, which commences on March 6.

The duo will feature in a star-studded lineup at the event, alongside the likes of five-time champion Novak Djokovic, World No. 3 Jannik Sinner and last year's runner-up Daniil Medvedev.

While Nadal missed last year's edition of the event due to injury, Alcaraz is the defending champion at the prestigious tournament, having beaten Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 in the final.