“There are so many flags,” Carlos Alcaraz explains the atmosphere of his first Olympic Games
Carlos Alcaraz opened his Olympic Singles campaign with a straight set win.
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Carlos Alcaraz in action during the first round at the Paris Olympics (via X)
Carlos Alcaraz opened his campaign for his first Olympic singles gold medal with a straightforward win over Lebanon’s Hady Habib, 6-3, 6-1, in the first round. The World No. 3 is competing in both the men’s singles and men’s doubles draw in Paris.
Making his debut in an Olympic event, Alcaraz was wide-eyed by the atmosphere. He compared it to the Roland Garros event, which he won in June.
The atmosphere is different because there are many flags and it is something that we are not used to seeing during tournaments. The truth is that the energy that is experienced is totally different and special. It is a very nice experience that I have had and I already want to play another game to repeat it.Carlos Alcaraz said after his win
Alcaraz aims to build on his impressive young career. So far, he has won 15 tour-level titles, including four Grand Slam singles titles. The young Spaniard hopes to be the second player after Rafael Nadal to win both the Roland Garros men’s singles title and the Olympic men’s singles gold medal in the same year. Next, the right-hander will face either Cameron Norrie or Tallon Griekspoor.
Carlos Alcaraz to show up again on Saturday for doubles action with Rafael Nadal
Carlos Alcaraz will be back in action on Saturday as he is set to debut in Olympic men’s doubles with Rafael Nadal. The Spanish duo will play Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez in the opening round.
It all started in April when Nadal openly expressed his wish to play with the World No. 3 at the Paris Olympics. After winning his opening round at the French Open, Alcaraz hoped that the much-anticipated doubles pairing would become official at the Paris Olympics.
The duo was finally confirmed as a doubles pairing in the first week of July. It will be an emotional moment for Alcaraz, considering he will be representing his country for the first time at an Olympic event. Moreover, he has his idol, Nadal, sharing the court with him.
An even bigger factor is that Alcaraz has not played doubles a lot in his career so far. After the Olympic Games, the current Wimbledon champion’s next doubles matches will likely be at the Laver Cup. Considering that Nadal is also booked to be in Team Europe, we might see ‘Nadalcaraz’ taking place again in Berlin.
In case you missed it:
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Fahad Hamid
(625 Articles Published)