The tennis player, announced as a great hope in the United States, faces the Spanish legend in the first round of the Masters 1000 in Madrid.
Published on 04/25/2024 12:19
Reading time: 2 min Darwin Blanch, young 16-year-old American tennis player, during the Miami tournament in March 2024. (AL BELLO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP)
Will Rafael Nadal compete at Roland Garros? The Spaniard cast doubt on Wednesday April 14 at a press conference on the sidelines of the Masters 1000 in Madrid. The tennis legend returned to competition last week in Barcelona after three months of absence (eliminated in the second round), but he admitted to not being 100% physically ready. And if he is not, he is even considering withdrawing from Roland-Garros. In the meantime, Rafael Nadal will play his first round on Thursday at the Masters 1000 in Madrid, a tournament on clay that he has won five times.
The 37-year-old Spaniard will face Darwin Blanch, a player invited by the organizers, in the first round. This great hope of American tennis, aged 16, is ranked 1,028th in the world according to AFP. Franceinfo presents this (very) young tennis player, who will compete against “Rafa” and his 22 Grand Slam titles.
A left-hander who trains regularly with Carlos Alcaraz
One statistic sums up this confrontation: the two players are separated by a difference of 21 years, an age gap never seen in the history of tennis. Darwin Blanch was born in Florida on September 28, 2007. On that date, Rafael Nadal was world No. 2 and had already won 23 tournaments, including three Roland-Garros. The American is more of the precocious type: this left-hander became the United States under-16 champion when he was only 14.
He then left Florida for Alicante, Spain, where he joined the academy created by Juan Carlos Ferrero, winner of Roland-Garros in 2003 and former world No. 1. The latter is none other than the coach of Carlos Alcaraz, with whom he trains regularly. “All the training with Carlos really helps me, he gives me advice. Every time I train with him it’s a great pleasure and I get the most out of it”assures Darwin Blanch about the Spaniard, winner of two Grand Slam tournaments and current world No. 3.
Djokovic as idol, Rafael Nadal as role model
Carlos Alcaraz is his training partner but Darwin Blanch has Novak Djokovic as his idol. On the other hand, his model is called Rafael Nadal. “When I was younger, I imitated his forehand lariat. I really imitated him, but also his warrior spirit. Everyone said: it’s Nadal”, says the young American. So facing Nadal is definitely for him “a big dream”. “Compared to everything he has done for this sport, it’s great”exclaims the left-hander.
But tennis is not the only area in which he is gifted, since Darwin Blanch speaks four languages: English, Spanish, Chinese and Thai.