The 21-year-old is making his Laver Cup debut this week. But it’s been a bittersweet arrival for Alcaraz, who was looking forward to sharing the court with his countryman after their doubles outing at the Olympics.

“It would have been super special to repeat here in Berlin,” Alcaraz 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 four-time Grand Slam champion could well get his wish, as Spain’s Davis Cup captain recently opened the door for Nadal to make a return during Finals week in November. Alcaraz has already heard the news and is hoping to see the 22-time Grand Slam champion 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.”