Rafael Nadal returned to action as he faced compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in the Netflix Slam in Las Vegas on Sunday night. However, the veteran suffered a 3-6, 6-4, 14-12 loss against the youngster. Nadal saved five match points in the 10-point tiebreaker.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion feels it is a great sign for Spain as a player of Alcaraz’s ability is rising through the ranks. Alcaraz has already won the US Open and Wimbledon and has shown promise to follow in Nadal’s footsteps.

“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,” Nadal 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 lefty added it is a big challenge to face a potent player like Alcaraz and hailed the youngster for his accomplishments on the tour despite being only 20.

“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.

Alcaraz and Nadal will be next seen in action in the Indian Wells, which is all set to begin from March 9.