Toni Nadal discusses Carlos Alcaraz's Olympic defeat

Uncle of the former world number one Rafael Nadal, Toni Nadal, has opened up about how the defeat of Carlos Alcaraz in the Olympic singles final was viewed in the country. The 21-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the world, along with Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz recently participated in the Paris Olympics where he lost in the gold medal match to Djokovic in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 7-6. After the match, the current world number three was clearly distraught as he burst into tears on the court. Toni, was recently quoted in a report where he explained how the defeat was taken back home.

He revealed that back home, the defeat left a bitter taste in the beginning but stated that later, there was an admiration for the young Spaniard as he not only won a silver medal but also lost against arguably the best tennis player in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category and the game could have been completely different had the four-time Grand Slam winner was more clinical at important times.

“The images of Carlos crying on the track with clear signs of grief and frustration have left us with a bitter feeling,” he said. “But they should not at all lead us to think that it was a defeat. He lost a match that could well have fallen on his side, showing his face at all times, fighting to the last ball as we know is usual in him, and having a whole country that we enjoy seeing for his great tennis and his passion. His meritorious silver medal against the best tennis player in history undoubtedly deserves all our admiration.”

Despite defeat in the final, Alcaraz is having a fabulous season. He has already won two out of the three Grand Slams this year. His most recent triumph came at Wimbledon, where he lifted the title after beating Djokovic in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-2, 7-6.