Nadal humbled by Carlos Alcaraz's presence in their bid for Spanish Doubles at the Olympics

Rafael Nadal anticipates doubles with Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The 22-time Grand Slam champion will return to Roland Garros to compete for the gold medal in singles and doubles with a top partner, world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz.

Nadal decided to focus his energies on the Olympics and skip Wimbledon to avoid the difficult transitions from clay to grass and back to clay. The Olympics take place just two weeks after Wimbledon ends, and Nadal is prioritizing his performance in Paris.

The Spaniard already knows what it’s like to win a gold medal in both singles and doubles. In Beijing 2008, the then-world No. 1 defeated Fernando Gonzalez in the final, becoming the first Spaniard to win gold in tennis. Eight years later, in Rio, he claimed a second gold for Spain in doubles alongside Marc Lopez.

Nadal has only participated in the Olympics in 2008 and 2016, so Paris will be his third time competing. He will play in the singles draw thanks to his protected ranking as No. 9 and will team up in doubles with world No. 2 and recent Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz.

The veteran Spaniard recently appeared at the opening of a hotel in Tossa de Mar in Girona and announced his participation in doubles with Alcaraz to the press. Nadal praised Alcaraz for his French Open title and mentioned that he hopes to match his partner’s level: "I will try to arrive as prepared as possible. I haven't played in pairs for a long time, but Carlos Alcaraz is in a fantastic moment after winning at Roland Garros. I will try to arrive at my best to be a good partner for him," he said.