"There is no better person than Rafa to do that" says Carlos Alcaraz on Nadal Saudi Arabia ambassador role despite criticism

Carlos Alcaraz defended Rafael Nadal amid criticism for his role as the Saudi Arabia Ambassador. The 22-times Grand Slam champion was appointed to the position and will establish an academy in the country that is increasingly investing in tennis. Nadal will travel several times a year to aid in the development of the junior circuit in the nation.

Alcaraz is at the Argentina Open and anticipates his debut on Wednesday against the winner of Juan Pablo Varillas (No. 85) and the local qualifier Camilo Ugo Carabelli (No. 134).

Nadal's new role faced criticism, as many believe Saudi Arabia is investing millions in sports for "sports washing," using sports as a means to improve their image. The country has already made substantial investments in sports like football and golf, with tennis emerging as their latest focus.

Despite the significant investment in the Middle East, not everyone views encouraging the country positively, given its track record on human rights, especially regarding women and the LGBTQ+ community.

When asked about Nadal's prominent involvement, Alcaraz expressed his opinion and defended his compatriot's decision:

“I’ve heard people say they’ve been criticising him. Well, Rafa has decided to be an ambassador, I personally don’t think it’s bad, he has signed up as a tennis ambassador.” Alcaraz told reporters in Argentina on Monday.

“It’s a country that is developing, what better than Rafa getting in there to expand the world of tennis to places where it was never played before. We players are trying to attract more people to watch tennis and there is no better person than Rafa to do that.”

“It’s good for tennis that there are more venues, that the countries where we go and where we play are opening up,” said Alcaraz.

“Arabia is a country that is evolving very fast in all senses, in the world of sport there are a lot of events there. Football, now a lot of tennis. It’s good for sport in general. I don’t know how far we’ll go, but I’m sure it will be evolving,” the world No. 2 concluded.