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Madrid Masters tournament director Feliciano Lopez expressed his delight that his compatriot Rafael Nadal will be in action at the Caja Magica next week.
The 21-time Grand Slam winner has been out of action since injuring his rib at the Indian Wells Masters more than a month ago. The 'King of Clay' is yet to play on his favorite surface this season, skipping the Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open.
However, the 35-year-old, who is 20-1 this season, is all set to return to the court in the Spanish capital. In a chat with Marca, Lopez spoke of his excitement at hosting Nadal in Madrid and expressed hope that he would be fully fit.
"We are very excited that Rafa is here with us. I have hopes in that we can see him 100% on Wednesday," Lopez said.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, one of the most exciting young players on the tour, is also expected to play in Madrid next week. The 18-year-old has had a breakout campaign, winning titles in Rio de Janeiro, Miami and Barcelona.
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In the process, he emulated Nadal to become one of the youngest top-10 debutants in ATP rankings history.
Lopez spoke about the strength of Spanish tennis at present and said it was a "joy" to have Alcaraz representing the nation.
"I think that Spanish tennis is in an incredible moment," he said. "It's a joy to have someone like Carlos Alcaraz in Spanish tennis."
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz's 2022 campaigns thus far
Rafael Nadal has had a superb start to his 2022 campaign. After missing over five months of action, the legendary left-hander won the Melbourne 250 tournament before creating history at the Australian Open.
Recovering from two sets and break points down against Daniil Medvedev in the final, Nadal became the first male player to win 21 Grand Slam singles titles. In the process, he marched ahead of his Big 3 peers Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the Slam race.
Continuing his imperious form, Nadal went all the way in Acapulco before his unbeaten start to the year was ended by Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final. However, the Spaniard has been out of action since sustaining a fractured rib in the semifinal against his compatriot Alcaraz.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz has had a campaign to remember. After a modest start to the season, the teenager won his first ATP 500 title in Rio de Janeiro before becoming the newest Masters 1000 winner in Miami.
Alcaraz created more history in Barcelona, where he won his fourth career singles title to break into the top 10 in the ATP rankings.
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What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
