“Something I will never forget,” Carlos Alcaraz opens up about the “dream” partnership with Rafael Nadal at the Paris Olympics

Carlos Alcaraz also threw light on his goal to end the year as World No.1 following his brilliant form this season.

“Something I will never forget,” Carlos Alcaraz opens up about the “dream” partnership with Rafael Nadal at the Paris Olympics

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal (via Imago)

Carlos Alcaraz has reiterated that his doubles partnership with Rafael Nadal at the Paris Olympics will remain an unforgettable experience. The Spanish duo’s dream for a doubles medal at the Summer Games ended in the quarterfinals after two wins.

Alcaraz and Nadal’s partnership attracted the crowd to the Roland Garros court in all their matches. They beat Argentina’s Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez 7-6, 6-4 in their opening match. They continued in like fashion, beating Dutch pair Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof 6-4, 6-7 (10-2) to reach the quarterfinals.

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In the quarterfinals, they met their match, as American fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram won 6-2, 6-4 against the Spanish duo, ending their hopes for a doubles medal. However, Alcaraz claimed the singles silver after losing to Novak Djokovic in the final, while Nadal left with nothing following his second-round exit in the singles.

Despite not winning any doubles medal, Alcaraz admitted it was a great experience and one he will never forget.

It was a great experience, talking to Rafa off the court, getting to know each other better off the court. Playing doubles together was great, something I will never forget for sure. I learned a lot talking to him, on and off the court. I think we played great tennis in doubles, even though we don’t usually play doubles very often.
Carlos Alcaraz said during his press conference on Sunday in Cincinnati

Nadal has withdrawn from the US Open which gets underway on August 26. The 37-year-old has only the Laver Cup to play this year and looks likely to retire after struggling to play at his desired professional standard this season.

A little disappointing in the end because we thought we could do even better but overall, speaking for me, a dream come true for me, playing alongside Rafa.
Carlos Alcaraz added
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Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz admits his goal is to end the year as World No.1

Carlos Alcaraz has revealed that his goal is to be World No.1 by the end of the year. The 21-year-old is enjoying a hot streak of form, winning the French Open and Wimbledon, then claiming the singles silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via Imago)

Despite being World No.3 at the moment, Alcaraz’s goal to be at the top of the ATP rankings is not impossible. He is only 820 ranking points behind Jannik Sinner in World No.1. Alcaraz hopes to achieve this goal by continuing with his brilliant form.

Obviously being No. 1 is a goal every time that I am [behind] and the race is an important ranking for me. At the end of the year, if you end the race No. 1, in the rankings [it is] quite similar, so you're going to end the No. 1. I'm focused on going to every tournament, thinking about playing great tennis, doing a good result just to get better in the race.
Carlos Alcaraz said (H/T: ATP)

Alcaraz is the favorite to win the Cincinnati Open after finishing as runners-up in the Masters 1000 tournament last year. He will play either Gael Monfils or Alexei Popyrin in the second round after earning a first-round bye.

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