Tag: Nadal

Rafa Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz team up for doubles at Paris Olympics

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FILE–Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal attend The Netflix Slam at Michelob ULTRA Arena on March 03, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Chris Unger/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Chris Unger / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

MADRID — Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will play doubles together for Spain at the upcoming Paris Olympics, the Spanish tennis federation said Wednesday.

The announcement comes three days after the 21-year-old Alcaraz won the French Open for the first time — earning his third Grand Slam trophy.

The same courts used for the French Open each year will host Olympic tennis. Nadal has won the French Open a record 14 times.

Alcaraz, who will play in his first Olympics, is widely seen as the heir to Nadal in Spanish tennis, and has frequently remarked that Nadal was his childhood hero.

READ: Carlos Alcaraz hopes for dream Olympic doubles with Rafa Nadal

“Rafa and Carlos will be playing together in Paris,” said Spain captain David Ferrer while announcing the squad.

Alcaraz has set winning an Olympic medal for Spain as one of his top career goals. He said after winning at Roland Garros that this year he would prefer a gold medal at the Paris Olympics over successfully defending his Wimbledon title.

“The Olympic Games are every four years and it’s a special tournament where you’re not only playing for yourself, but for a country, representing every Spaniard,” the No. 2-ranked Alcaraz said. “I think this year I’d choose Olympic gold.”

The 38-year-old Nadal, who will also play singles, already owns Olympic gold medals in singles (2008) and doubles (2016 with Marc López) to go alongside his 22 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal, who lost to Alexander Zverev in the first round at Roland Garros this year, said this is likely his last year on tour after a series of injuries.

The other Spain players in the men’s Olympic team will be Pablo Carreño Busta, Alejandro Davidovich and Marcel Granollers.

Captain Anabel Medina picked No. 55 Sara Sorribes Tormo and No. 67 Cristina Bucsa — the top-ranked Spanish players — for the women’s team, with Paula Badosa deciding not to compete as she only has two more events to play while using her protected ranking.

Carlos Alcaraz plays down chasing ‘impossible’ Nadal, Djokovic records

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Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz kisses the trophy after winning against Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the men’s singles final match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on day fifteen of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros Complex in Paris on June 9, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP)

Carlos Alcaraz said emulating Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s successes seems “impossible” after winning his maiden French Open title on Sunday with a victory over Alexander Zverev.

The 21-year-old came from behind to win 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 and claim his third Grand Slam triumph.

Alcaraz’s victory made him the youngest man to win Slam titles on clay, grass and hard courts.

READ: Carlos Alcaraz overcomes Zverev to win first French Open title

With Roger Federer retired, Nadal expected to hang up his racquet this year and Djokovic having a poor season by his high standards, Alcaraz could be primed to dominate the sport for years to come.

Although he is already making history, he has some way to go to match Nadal’s record of 14 French Open titles or Djokovic’s men’s best total of 24 Grand Slams.

“Both things are out of the ordinary,” he admitted.

“You have to be an alien to get it. What Rafa did with 14 is practically impossible.

“The 24 Grand Slams I hope I can but it is almost impossible. Both things are out of the ordinary…

“Before facing this final, he (coach Juan Carlos Ferrero) told me, you’re going to fight for your third Grand Slam title, with everything you have been through, and you know the difficult part of winning a Grand Slam, and Djokovic has 24.

“So it is unbelievable. Right now I can’t think about it.”

READ: Carlos Alcaraz embraces ‘suffering’ to reach French Open final

Alcaraz will next turn his attentions to the grass-court season and the defense of his Wimbledon title.

But he already has one eye on returning to Roland Garros next month for the Paris Olympics, where he is expected to play alongside the 38-year-old Nadal in the doubles.

“When I come back here to the Olympics I will have flashbacks. It can be very nice, my first Games 40 days after winning my first Roland Garros,” he added.

“I really want to. Fight to give my country a medal, be able to play doubles with my idol Rafa Nadal. Let’s fight. Coming back here is going to be a special feeling.”

‘Dream’ come true

He is the eighth Spanish man to win the Coupe des Mousquetaires.

“In Roland Garros, knowing all the Spanish players who have won this tournament and be able to put my name on that amazing list is something unbelievable,” Alcaraz told reporters.

“Something that I dreamt about, being in this position, since I was started playing tennis, since I was five, six years old. So it’s a great, great feeling.”

Third-ranked Alcaraz has already won three major titles, five Masters 1000 tournaments and become the youngest ever world number one, but said Sunday’s triumph was his proudest moment so far.

He had struggled with a right arm injury in the build-up to the tournament, missing both the Monte Carlo Masters and the Rome Open, either side of a quarter-final loss to Andrey Rublev in Madrid.

“Right now lifting the Roland Garros trophy, knowing everything that I have been through the last month with the injuries and all that stuff, I don’t know. Probably this one,” he said.

“Probably this one is the moment that I’m really proud about myself, because everything that I have done the last month just to be ready for this tournament…

“So I’m going to say this one is the most that I am proud about myself.”