“If everything goes well, we are going to play doubles together,” Carlos Alcaraz open to playing with Rafael Nadal in Olympics doubles

Carlos Alcaraz has huge plans for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

“If everything goes well, we are going to play doubles together,” Carlos Alcaraz open to playing with Rafael Nadal in Olympics doubles

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal (Via IMAGO)

Carlos Alcaraz has expressed openness to the idea of playing doubles with Rafael Nadal at the Paris Olympics. The World No. 3 has never hidden his admiration for the 14-time Roland Garros champion.

In the post-match press conference after his Round 1 win at Roland Garros, Alcaraz shared positive news about the possibility of him and Nadal pairing up for Spain at the Paris Games. The Spaniard is playing competitive tennis at Roland Garros for the first time in almost a month, having withdrawn from the Rome Masters.

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If everything goes well [physical condition], we are going to play doubles together here.
Carlos Alcaraz said in the post-match press conference

Alcaraz beat J.J. Wolf 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of this year’s French Open to begin his campaign for a third Grand Slam title. The Spaniard entered the match with many question marks surrounding his form, but his performance in the first round relieved his fans.

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On the other hand, Nadal will face Alexander Zverev in a blockbuster first-round match on Monday. This is likely to be the last appearance in the main draw for the 22-time Grand Slam champion at his favorite slam.

Analyzing Carlos Alcaraz’s 2024 so far

World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz has been deemed the favorite for this year’s French Open. The Spaniard has had a fantastic last two years on the tour, winning the US Open in 2022 and Wimbledon last year. He also became the youngest player since Lleyton Hewitt to be ranked World No. 1.

Carlos Alcaraz Roland Garros
Carlos Alcaraz after his first-round win at Roland Garros (via IMAGO)

However, the opinion of him being the favorite for the clay slam seems to divide fans. Alcaraz’s only title this year was Indian Wells, where he snapped Jannik Sinner‘s unbeaten streak before completely demolishing Daniil Medvedev to defend his title.

In the clay season, he has not played much. The Spaniard withdrew from Monte Carlo and Barcelona, where he was the defending champion. The former World No. 1 made a last-minute decision to play in Madrid, where he was also the defending champion, but he lost to eventual champion Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.

As his elbow injury worsened, he withdrew from the Rome Masters as well. Despite his convincing win in the opening round against J.J. Wolf, fans cannot confidently say that he’s the outright favorite. He has not won a Grand Slam on clay, and his only significant achievements on the surface have been in Madrid, where he won consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023. The jury is still out on the Spaniard in the second Grand Slam of the year.

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