Carlos Alcaraz has revealed that he ‘misses’ Rafael Nadal, with the 21-year-old hoping that the Davis Cup Finals are not his compatriots final tournament.

Alcaraz is currently in Beijing for the China Open, after leading Team Europe to a comeback victory at the Laver Cup in Berlin over the weekend.

Nadal was not present in the German capital, having withdrawn before Grigor Dimitrov took his place.

However, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has since been announced as part of Spain’s Davis Cup Finals squad alongside Alcaraz.

With Nadal playing less and less frequently in recent years, many have speculated over whether this could be his final tournament, but Alcaraz has revealed that he hopes this is not the case.

“I am going to enjoy that time. Hopefully, it’s not going to be the last time for him,” said Alcaraz. “Obviously, it’s always great having Rafa around. I miss him. I’m not going to lie, I miss him in the Laver Cup.”

Alcaraz continued, “Obviously, as much time as I can spend with him, for me it’s a privilege. I don’t want to think that it is a potential last dance for him in Malaga. I just want to think that I will be trying to live or to enjoy his time around, to enjoy seeing him on court as much as I can.

“Obviously, it is a great support having him in the team. He can bring a lot of experience to the Davis Cup. For me, it’s going to be my first Davis Cup Final. It’s going to be a great experience for me. To have the chance to spend more time off the court, on the court as well, with him, it’s going to be great for Team Spain and I think for the country as well, that we’re playing in Spain.”

Alcaraz and Nadal first partnered together at the Paris Olympic Games, reaching the quarter-finals before being beaten by eventual silver medallists Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.

The Davis Cup Finals get underway on 19th November in Malaga, with Spain taking on the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

Before Alcaraz can start thinking about that he will begin his Asian swing at the China Open against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard tomorrow.

Inside the baseline…

With there being a 17-year age gap between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal, the number of interactions between the pair have been a lot more limited than many would have wanted. However, due to Nadal’s longevity we are lucky to have even got to see them play together at all. Whether Nadal will be at the Davis Cup Finals is still a big question, as it would not be the first time that he has withdrawn from an event this year, but what a way to go out it would be for the 22-time Grand Slam champion.