“Trying to enjoy it as much as possible,” Rafael Nadal expresses his love for Carlos Alcaraz as he cherishes their partnership at 2024 Paris Olympics

Despite pairing up for the first time, Nadal and Alcaraz have shown good chemistry on the court.

“Trying to enjoy it as much as possible,” Rafael Nadal expresses his love for Carlos Alcaraz as he cherishes their partnership at 2024 Paris Olympics

Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal (Image via Imago)

The Spanish pair of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz is going strong at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The pair has made it through to the quarterfinals in the doubles. Although the two have paired up for the first time, the chemistry is right there and both seem to be enjoying every bit of their partnership.

Nadal, in fact, even talked about enjoying his time with Alcaraz as much as possible because there won’t be another opportunity in the future. After their win over the Dutch pair of Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof in the second round, he talked about his partnership with his compatriot and explained why it was working well.

https://youtu.be/5RSTwGoIwWo?si=35hiUENcQ3VBI-nK

Nadal claimed that they played better against the Dutchman than they did in their first match. The 22-time Grand Slam champion also touched upon what they could have done better to avoid losing the second set.

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First, I am playing with someone who I think is destined to score a goal. I think we both are great competitors and we also appreciate that it is a unique opportunity. In the end, we will never play the Olympic Games together again, so we are trying to enjoy it as much as possible.
Rafael Nadal said as a press conference

Notably, the two players have come together only for the Olympics and there is no guarantee that they will play doubles together in the future.

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Carlos Alcaraz reciprocates the love for Rafael Nadal

While Rafael Nadal talked about enjoying his partnership with Carlos Alcaraz to the fullest, the 21-year-old said that he was learning everything he could from his senior partner. He also said that playing alongside Nadal made things easier.

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal Paris Olympics
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in action at the Paris Olympics (via X)

The four-time Grand Slam champion then expressed delight at everything they have been able to achieve so far. 

For me, playing with Rafa is special. It is very beautiful and it is also easy. I also try to learn from everything he does on the court at certain times. I am very happy to see that we are progressing, that we are improving the level, and we are generating much better as a couple.
Carlos Alcaraz said

The Spanish pair will meet Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram of the United States in the quarterfinals. So far, Nadal and Alcaraz have done well enough to beat their opponents in the first two rounds. While they won 7-6(4), 6-4 in the first round, the duo had to grind out in the second round to win it 6-4, (2)6-7, 10-2.

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