American Olympic silver medalist and former top tennis star, Mardy Fish hilariously called for Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz to be disqualified from the Olympic Games.
The Spanish duo took to doubles life together like a duck to water. They saw off sixth seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni who were heralded favourites and saw them off with consummate ease 7-6, 6-4.
A packed Court Philippe Chatrier revelled in the duo who are teaming for likely the only time and have been dubbed as 'Nadalcaraz' accordingly. Despite Nadal having strapping on his right thigh, they quickly showed why they are to be feared.
Nadal in particular in recent week has played doubles with Casper Ruud in Bastad so certainly has experience when it comes to playing in a tandem after not doing so for most of his career. But perhaps Alcaraz was the player to anchor the duo due to Nadal's strapping on his right thigh.
Nadal has since played his first round singles clash so it doesn't seem to be that much of an issue but he certainly isn't at full strength. Fish though jokingly called for them to be banned and saw the funny side in terms of the tandem's excellence.
"I declare this team as not fair," Fish wrote on X. "Disqualify them for being too good immediately.”
While Alcaraz called it a dream come true to play with Nadal and that he dealt with huge nerves. "It wasn't Rafa himself that was imposing on me, but the situation,” he said. “In the end, seeing the Philippe Chatrier stadium full, playing with Rafa, my first Olympics... It was a moment, I'll say, that was difficult to deal with the nerves.”
“It was a dream come true, honestly. I dreamed about playing my debut in the Olympic Games, but playing with Rafa, it was even more special. I’m really happy about the level we played, I’m really happy to give us the chance to keep going, to play another round. I think our level is good enough to believe and hopefully keep going.”
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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