Watch: 'Rafa is my idol, favorite player, favorite everything,' Carlos Alcaraz declares Rafael Nadal as his absolute favorite

Rafa. Right now, Rafael is my idol, favorite player, favorite everything. Carlos Alcaraz is heard saying in a video shared by Roland Garros on X.

Carlos Alcaraz happy to be not facing Rafael Nadal in first round of 2024 Roland Garros

While his love for Rafael Nadal is unmatched, Carlos Alcaraz is not interested in playing against the 14-time French Open champion in the first round of the 2024 edition of the tournament. When Alcaraz was asked if any part of him wanted to play against the Spaniard in order to honor him, the 22-year-old said no.

Alcaraz said that when he got to know that there were chances of him facing him in the first round, he was a bit tensed.

No, honestly, no. When I saw that it was 50 percent chance that I could play against Rafa, I was like '..Thanks'. Carlos Alcaraz said about facing Rafael Nadal in the first round.

Notably, while Alcaraz survived facing Nadal in the first round at the 2024 Roland Garros, German tennis ace Alexander Zverev has been pitted to meet the 14-time champion in his first match of the tournament. Zverev is coming on the back of a title-winning campaign in Rome and will be confident to take down the Spaniard.

Meanwhile, Nadal will be backing to pull off an upset as he takes the court in Paris on Sunday. The 37-year-old has an impeccable record in Paris but his current form and fitness might bog him down.