Carlos Alcaraz admits he was in ‘shock’ when he learned the news of Rafael Nadal’s retirement an hour before he stepped on court at the Shanghai Masters. Nadal is Alcaraz’s tennis icon and the 21-year-old has admitted that news of his mentor bowing out of the sport after November’s Davis Cup is “really difficult” to hear.

Alcaraz suffered a surprise defeat against Tomas Machac in the Shanghai Masters quarter-final. However, he insists that he was not distracted by Nadal’s announcement, which came shortly before he was due on court in China.

Nadal has announced that he will end one of the greatest tennis careers after playing for Spain at the Davis Cup. The 38-year-old, who won 22 Grand Slam titles, is also due to play an exhibition event in Saudi Arabia beforehand.

Asked about Nadal’s retirement, Alcaraz said: “Well, I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. You know, it doesn’t affect me at all before the match. I didn’t get distracted at all, I was just really focused on the match, I didn’t think about Rafa’s news.

“But obviously when I saw it, it was tough to accept it. I was in shock a little bit. I saw it like one hour before the match, so I had time to accept it and forget it a little bit before the match.

“It is a really difficult thing, really difficult news for everybody, and even tougher for me. He has been my idol since I start playing tennis. I look up to him.

“Proudly, thanks to him, I really wanted to become a professional tennis player. Losing him, in a certain way, is going to be difficult for us, so I will try to enjoy as much as I can when he’s going to play.

“But we are going to play in Saudi Arabia, and then Davis Cup, so I’m going to try to enjoy as much as I can with him, but, yeah, it is a shame for tennis and for me.”

Nadal, dubbed the King of Clay for his remarkable clay-court record, has joined rival Roger Federer in retirement. Come the end of the year, Novak Djokovic will be the only member of tennis’ Big Three who remains active.

Andy Murray, a long-term friend of Nadal’s, also bowed out earlier this year.

“In this life, everything has a beginning and an end,” said Nadal. “And I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”