Carlos
Alcaraz revealed his dream of playing in the Paris Olympic Games with his idol
Rafael Nadal.
The World
No. 1 already has two Grand Slam trophies after his triumph at the All England
Club, defeating 7-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in a thrilling final
with a score of 1-6, 7-6 (8), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. In an interview with claytennis,
Carlos Alcaraz expressed his desire to compete with Rafael Nadal.
"Man,
without a doubt, Rafa will be there. Hopefully, I can play with him
again."
Nadal and
Alcaraz have faced each other three times on the ATP tour, with two victories
for Nadal and one for the young star. The first encounter was at the 2021
Madrid Open, where the first seed Nadal defeated 'Carlitos' in the first round
with a score of 6-1, 6-2.
They met
again in the semifinals of the 2022 BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells, with another
victory for the 22-time Grand Slam champion, this time with a score of 6-4, 4-6,
6-3. Nadal reached the final but lost to American Taylor Fritz.
Their last
meeting was positive for Alcaraz, who, as the 7th seed, eliminated the third
seed in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open with a score of 6-2, 1-6, 6-3. The
current World No. 1 would eventually become the champion of the tournament,
defeating German Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
However,
Carlos Alcaraz also expressed his desire to play alongside Rafa Nadal in the
doubles event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, which will be held at Nadal's
beloved Roland Garros, where he has won the French Open 14 times.
“It would
be a dream. Not only to win a medal at singles or doubles, but just to live the
experience of a doubles with your idol would be a memory that I would keep with
special affection.”
Nadal
already won the gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympics by defeating triple
Olympic medalist Fernando González in the final. In Rio de Janeiro 2016, he
also secured the gold medal in men's doubles alongside his partner Marc Lopez.
