Carlos Alcaraz waits for his chance to start
the Olympic Games alongside
Rafael Nadal. The recent
Wimbledon champion will
join the 22-time Grand Slam champion in an unprecedented duo fighting for a
medal in the doubles draw. They will debut against the Argentine 6th seed pair,
Máximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.
Paris 2024 will be the first Olympic experience
for Alcaraz, while it will be the third for Nadal, who won gold in singles at
Beijing 2008 and also in doubles at Rio with Marc Lopez.
Alcaraz joins forces with Nadal for Paris 2024
Alcaraz comes fresh from winning the French
Open and Wimbledon titles, matching Nadal as one of the few players to achieve
the ‘Channel Slam.’ Nadal, meanwhile, remained on clay after a first-round exit
at
Roland Garros and played his first final in two years last week, finishing
as runner-up to Nuno Borges.
Already in Paris and just a day before the
tournament starts, Alcaraz spoke to Eurosport about his upcoming performance
with Nadal and expressed his pride in joining the former world No. 1 in the
Olympic experience: “For me, it's incredible,” Alcaraz said. “Being able to
learn from him so closely is a unique, unforgettable experience.
“In these first Games, it was a dream for me to
represent my country, but it makes it even more special to be able to play
alongside my idol, Rafa Nadal. It is something incredible, something that we
are going to enjoy,” the 4-time Grand Slam champion added. “We are going to
prepare these days in doubles to achieve a good result and try to qualify for a
medal. Personally, I’m going to try to enjoy every moment.”
Although both already know what it is like to
be champions at Roland Garros (Nadal 14 times), there is still a question about
how they will arrange themselves to play together, especially considering that
both excel more from the forehand side than from the backhand: “We have
honestly talked about it, but very secondarily,” Alcaraz laughed. “We haven't
specifically talked about it, but he most likely plays on his backhand side and
I play on my backhand.”
![nadalcaraz](https://r.testifier.nl/Acbs8526SDKI/resizing_type:fit/watermark:Picture%3A%20IMAGO/width:1280/plain/https://s3-newsifier.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/tennisuptodate.com/images/2024-07/nadalcaraz-66a222d84c29c.jpg@webp)
Nadal and Alcaraz in Roland Garros
Alcaraz speaks on Murray’s legacy
Alcaraz also spoke about
Andy Murray’s upcoming
retirement, as Murray competes in his final professional event. The Scottish
double Olympic gold medalist could only play doubles at Wimbledon due to
injury, which also prevents him from playing singles this time, so Murray’s
farewell will be in doubles alongside Dan Evans in Paris.
“I think Andy is a great reference for
everyone,” Alcaraz explained to Eurosport. “He is a definition of a fighter, of
never giving up. Because of everything that has happened, he has had a very
difficult and very special career. What has happened with the injuries, with
the hip issue for which many doctors told him that he could not play, is
incredible.”
“I have a lot of admiration for him. What he
has achieved is something to admire, incredible. Maximum respect for
him,” Carlitos added.
Alcaraz excited for Olympic debut at Roland
Garros
The 20-year-old Spaniard returns to Roland
Garros just two months after winning his first title there. In the final, he
defeated Alexander Zverev in a five-set battle to claim his third Grand Slam
title: “The truth is that returning to Philippe-Chatrier was a very nice
moment,” Alcaraz said. “If I'm honest, I didn't think much about Roland-Garros.
“When entering Chatrier to train, the
decoration is different with the rings, the blue. I experienced it
differently,” the world No. 3 said. “My feeling is different, but returning to
that court, obviously you don't forget that it is Roland-Garros and it is very
nice and special to train and play on that court.
“For me, being in the village is special, it is
a dream to be surrounded by other athletes, from other disciplines, to see a
little and learn about those sports is also very nice,” Alcaraz added about his
stay in the Olympic village, where he has become one of the most
attention-grabbing stars among athletes from different disciplines. “I didn't
expect so much and I appreciate the love and respect they have for me.”