Darwin Blanch, 16, has hilarious reaction to drawing Rafael Nadal at Mutua Madrid Open

Sixteen-year-old American Darwin Blanch had a hilarious three-lettered reaction to drawing Rafael Nadal in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open.

"Guys, I play Nadal, wtf," the youngster wrote on social media Monday, shortly after it was determined that he would face the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion in just the second ATP main-draw match of his fledgling professional career. He can be seen in the accompanying selfite holding a hand over his mouth in shock.

Per Opta Ace, the official statistical provider of the ATP and WTA tours, the 21-year, 117-day age gap between Blanch and Nadal is the biggest in any ATP Masters 1000 match since the tournament level was introduced in 1990. Coincidentally, it surpasses the 19 years and 204 days between Richard Gasquet and Martin Landaluce, which was a first round in Madrid last year.

L'Equipe tennis journalist Quentin Moynet was among those who shared Blanch's Snapchat post more broadly on social media, leading to it going viral from outlets including ESPN and BBC.

Blanch, who trains at Juan Carlos Ferrero's academy in Spain alongside Carlos Alcaraz, is represented by IMG, which also owns the Madrid tournament. Ranked No. 10 in juniors, just off his career-high of No. 4 from January, he made his tour-level debut at the Miami Open, also as a wild card. He lost in the first round to eventual quarterfinalist Tomas Machac.

Twice this year, Blanch has reached the semifinals at M15 events on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

The left-hander reached the semifinals in the boys' singles event at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2023. A year prior, Blanch became the second-youngest player to ever earn an ATP ranking point at age 14 years and 5 months.

He was born two years after Nadal won his first Roland Garros title in 2005.