A rookie and a legend: Alcaraz’s Olympic debut with Nadal sparks excitement

Spain’s young tennis star Carlos Alcaraz has revealed that he will be the ‘rookie’ in the pair along with legendary Rafael Nadal when the two will represent their country in the upcoming Olympics 2024. The mega-event will be played from July 26 to August 09 in the capital city of France, Paris, where thousands of players will participate to secure an ultimate prize for their respective countries.

One very attractive category in the tennis event is the men’s doubles category, where Nadal and Alcaraz will play together to represent Spain. The 37-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles in his illustrious career. Fourteen titles came while playing at the Roland Garros, the same surface where the Olympic matches will be played.

On the other hand, Alcaraz is already regarded as one of the best players in the world despite not even turning 22. He has won two Grand Slams this year, and one of them was the French Open, where he defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev in a five-set thrilling contest with a score of 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2. The 21-year-old was recently quoted in a report explaining that he expects to be nervous while sharing the court with a player of Nadal’s pedigree. He also explained that he will be the ‘rookie’ in the pair listening to his instructions.

"Not much. He's also doing his thing, we're doing ours. We talk very little, but when we're at the Games, we'll talk about that doubles and, above all, how we're going to do it," he said. "I'm not nervous right now. When the time comes, I will be. And yes, obviously, he's already experienced this, he already knows what it's like to play in the Olympics, to win a gold in both singles and doubles. I'm new, I'm the rookie here, so I have to keep my mouth shut and just listen to him.”