Madrid (Spain) – Spaniard Rafael Nadal’s debut opponent at the Masters 1000 in Madrid, the young American Darwin Blanch, just 16 years old, faced the opportunity to challenge the 22-time Grand Slam champion with divided feelings. While he celebrates the opportunity, he knows it won’t be easy.
“I know there will be a lot of people and they will be against me. Obviously, Miami helped me a little, but I’ve always liked playing in front of a crowd and I’ll always enjoy that.”, commented the 1.90 cm tall North American, who has traveled the world, lived in four different countries and speaks several languages: English, Spanish, Chinese and Thai.
“I was born in Boca Raton (Florida), but when I was a week old I moved to Thailand because of my father’s work,” Blanch explained. “So I trained there until I was eight years old, with a tennis court in the backyard. I trained there with my brothers,” said Darwin, whose brothers Ulises Blanch and Dali Blanch, as well as his sister Krystal Blanch, all became tennis players.
He then moved to Argentina, where he stayed for another four years. “So I went to the USTA (in Orlando) and now I train at Ferrero’s academy, it’s been a wild journey,” said the American, who took advantage of his proximity to Carlos Alcaraz’s team to train with the current two-time Madrid champion in its preparation.
“I trained with him a few times at the gym,” said Alcaraz, who faced Nadal for the first time on his 18th birthday in Madrid. “I know he has good tennis. He plays very well for his age. I told him to enjoy the moment, it will be very useful for his career. It was very important for me when I faced Nadal in 2021 for the first time”, commented the Spaniard.
