Rafael Nadal will head into this weekend's Olympic Games full of confidence. He reached the final at Bastad Open and only lost to a quality operator in Nuno Borges and now heads into Paris with a week of matchplay under his belt.
He will also team with a certain Carlos Alcaraz over the coming week in the men's doubles. A dream pairing that Nadal fought for his exemption to be a part of, it was the main crux of Nadal playing for one final time in Paris. Also he will hope to win more than one match this time around.
Nadal lost to Alexander Zverev last time he played at Roland Garros in May but unlike Andy Murray, it won't be his final tournament. The Spaniard admitted that he may return next year. But if it is his last time, it will be at the Olympic Games.
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He is confident of Alcaraz bringing his ability and said they will play together in practice for the first time in order to get prepared. But Nadal has shown he can play doubles. He acquired the services of Casper Ruud in Bastad for another dream doubles pairing between the king of clay and the king of ATP 250 clay in Ruud. They withdrew though late into the tournament due to Nadal's singles run.
“I am very excited to be part of the Olympic team and represent Spain,” he said as per Punto de Break. "It is the most important event in sport and I hope to find the energy and train well. I know that if I can produce good tennis in singles, it will also be in doubles – but I have to analyse what happened this week and work hard.
“I am convinced that Carlos Alcaraz is going to be at a very good level because he arrives with confidence. We will train together this week.”
"What should this doubles pair be called? @RafaelNadal," wrote Alcaraz also as he asked for fan suggestions for their doubles team as they will team for the first time this week.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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