New Delhi,jun 12
In what is deemed to be a dream duo, the 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and the tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz will participate in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics as men’s doubles partners, the Spanish tennis federation announced on Wednesday. Paris 2024 Olympics will be played from July 26 to August 11.
Alcaraz and Nadal will be one of the most powerful teams in the men’s doubles category, having won 15 French Open titles between them. The tennis sport at the next Olympic Games will take place on the clay court in Paris.Rafael Nadal has been vociferous about representing Spain in the Paris Olympics, which is believed to be his final year on the ATP tour as a professional. Nadal underlined his promise to compete in the Olympics after losing in the first round of the French Open in May.After his first-ever first-round defeat at Roland Garros, Nadal said the ‘King of Clay’ also revealed that playing a match in the upcoming Paris Olympics is “motivation” to continue his glorious career.For now, Nadal will look to continue testing himself against the best players in the world, with dreams of being back in Paris for the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games.”I hope to be back on this court for the Olympics. That motivates me,” Nadal said with a smile as quoted by ATP.”For me, it’s difficult to say what will happen in the future. It’s a big percentage that I won’t be back at Roland-Garros, but I can’t say 100 per cent. I enjoy playing here, I like travelling with the family, and my body is feeling a little bit better than it did two months ago,” he added.Meanwhile, Alcaraz created history on Sunday at the French Open 2024, becoming the second-youngest clay-court major champion since 2000, at the age of 21. The Spaniard defeated Alexander Zverev in five sets in the final, becoming the seventh Spaniard to win the title.Nadal bagged the Olympic Gold in men’s singles in Beijing 2008 and won the doubles Gold along with Marc Lopez in the Rio 2016 Games.
