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.
"I will try to arrive as prepared as possible"
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.