Carlos Alcaraz lost against Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles final at the Paris Olympics, but won the silver medal.
Carlos Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, has declared that he will never forget playing with his idol Rafael Nadal in the men’s doubles event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal paired up to play doubles at the Paris Olympics. They won a few convincing matches, but their campaign came to an end in the quarter-finals when they were defeated in straight sets by the American combination of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.
At the Paris Olympics, Alcaraz earned the silver medal in the men’s singles event. Speaking about his experience, he remarked that he will never forget working with the 22-time Grand Slam winner. He also stated that he has learned a lot from his compatriot.
Carlos Alcaraz stated (via ATP Tour): “It was a terrific pleasure talking with Rafa off the court and getting to know each other much better. It was clearly a terrific pleasure to play doubles together.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion went on to say, “It was definitely something I will never forget. I learned a lot talking to him both on and off the court. I believe we played excellent doubles tennis, despite the fact that we are not accustomed to playing doubles.
However, Carlos Alcaraz has indicated that he is disappointed that he was unable to win a gold with his idol. Rafael Nadal won two Olympic medals. He won the gold medal in men’s singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Meanwhile, he won the gold medal in men’s doubles at the 2016 Rio Olympics, teaming up with Marc Lopez.
He continued, “It was a little sad at the end because we thought we might have done it better, but overall, we were pleased. Obviously, talking about myself, I realized my dream of playing doubles alongside Rafa.”
Carlos Alcaraz was unable to compete at the 2024 Canadian Open due to tiredness following the Olympics. However, he has returned to action at the Cincinnati Masters, where he will face Frenchman Gael Monfils in the first round. Alcaraz won the US Open in 2022, his first Grand Slam victory. So, after a fantastic year, he’ll be looking forward to capturing his fifth major next month.