Carlos Alcaraz has admitted to being starstruck when he first faced Rafael Nadal, saying that facing the 22-time Grand Slam champion was “kind of a nightmare.”

Speaking in Berlin on Thursday ahead of the Laver Cup, the 21-year-old Alcaraz reflected on his on-court battles with fellow Spaniard Nadal. “It was a huge thing when I played him for the first time,” said the World No. 3. “The other times for me were kind of a nightmare.”