“It would have been ideal to be…,” Rafael Nadal talks about missing out on playing doubles with compatriot Carlos Alcaraz before Olympics

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz might not have enough time to gel well heading into the Paris Games.

“It would have been ideal to be…,” Rafael Nadal talks about missing out on playing doubles with compatriot Carlos Alcaraz before Olympics

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz (via Imago)

Rafael Nadal‘s individual achievements far outweigh his doubles successes, but it’s only because the Spaniard chose to focus mainly on singles. However, he is an incredibly skilled doubles player as well, as he has displayed multiple times, most notably in the 2016 Olympics, where he partnered Marc Lopez to down many doubles specialist teams and claim the gold medal. 

He will be participating in what is sure to be the last Olympic Games event of his glorious career this year, where he will partner Carlos Alcaraz. He had expressed the desire to play a few tournaments with the youngster before they headed out to Roland Garros for the main event.

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However, this was not possible as their schedules did not match and they will now have to make do with the time they get in Paris. Nadal is confident that they will arrive in Paris a week early and be able to get enough practice in before the tournament commences.

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I haven’t played doubles for a long time. I’ve said it many times. It would have been ideal to be able to play doubles before (with Alcaraz). But it wasn’t possible. We’re going to arrive a week early.

Rafael Nadal told L’Equipe

Carlos Alcaraz is also eager to participate in his first Olympics and is sure to follow in Nadal’s footsteps to win many medals for his country. After Wimbledon, he will be heading directly to Paris and playing no event in between while Nadal competes in Bastad for the upcoming clay court war in Paris.

We'll have the opportunity to train a little, because at the end of the day, the Olympics are a team event in every sense of the word. Doubles are almost as important as singles. It's an opportunity to win a medal, which is the ultimate goal and the most beautiful thing.
Rafael Nadal added
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Rafael Nadal takes to the doubles courts for the first time in nearly two years

After the historic and emotional Laver Cup in 2022 where Roger Federer played his last professional match alongside Nadal as his partner, the latter has not played in any doubles events. With the Olympics nearing, the Spaniard decided to partner Casper Ruud, who often trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy, in the Swedish Open for some practice. 

Casper Ruud and Rafael Nadal
Casper Ruud and Rafael Nadal (Via Imago)

They played their first round today, and it went better than they would’ve expected it to, having never played doubles together before. They triumphed 6-1, 6-4 against the experienced team of Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela and Guido Andreozzi, who were the second seeds. 

The unseeded pair is now into the quarterfinal and the promising performance from Nadal has kept Spain’s hopes of winning multiple medals in tennis higher than ever.

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