Carlos Alcaraz is making his Laver Cup debut this week, but for many of Rafael Nadal’s fans, the atmosphere in Berlin feels bittersweet. It appears Carlitos shares that feeling. After teaming up with our champ in doubles at the Paris Olympics, he had been looking forward to reuniting on the court with his fellow Spaniard this weekend.

“It would have been super special to repeat here in Berlin,” Carlos told Marca. “When they gave the team and I saw that Rafa was coming, I was really excited to share the locker room with him once again.

“Here at the Laver Cup we are all much closer together and it would have been a unique experience. I am going to miss him and I hope he returns to the courts soon when he feels well. I hope we meet at some tournament soon.”

The 21-year-old is hoping to see Rafa in Malaga for the World Cup of men’s tennis.

Alcaraz continued: “I heard David Ferrer say that if Rafa was there, he would go all out with him. I hope I’m also physically fit to be able to go to Malaga. It’s something that I’m particularly excited about and I hope Rafa is there too.

“Rafa is one of the greatest in the history of our sport. For me he is my idol, he is the one I watched the matches with when I was a child, I have tried to learn from him as much as I could during the time we were together. I will miss him in Berlin because it was a unique opportunity to continue learning from him. He has been a unique tennis player.”