The ‘Nadalcaraz’ duo gets underway in Paris | ATP Tour

Paris Olympics

‘Nadalcaraz’ gets underway in Paris

The Spanish couple will make their debut at the Paris Olympics on Sunday

July 26, 2024

The pair have been dubbed ‘Nadalcaraz’, but there’s much more to that name. This Saturday, tennis will get underway at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and all eyes will be on the same side: doubles, which will see Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz join forces under the colours of the Spanish team.

“It is an iconic image that can mark an era,” explained Carlos Moyà, Nadal’s coach. “I have enjoyed the two training sessions they have had on the front line, and I have had a great time,” he continued. “You see Rafa with his experience and his charisma. And then you see Carlos, perhaps what Rafa was like at 20 or 21, with a lot of expressiveness and effusiveness… I hope they can continue because he is a doubles player who can make tennis fans fall in love.”

Nadal and Alcaraz arrive at their first round match, which will see them face Argentines Máximo González and Andrés Molteni, after having completed two doubles training sessions together: on Wednesday they beat Marcel Granollers and Pablo Carreño 6-4, 3-0, and on Friday they repeated their victory against the other Spanish pair by 6-3.

“It’s not just about being in tune,” Nadal warned. “We need to play doubles well individually. We haven’t played this sport for a long time and I did it two days last week in Bastad. We have to automate the movements in doubles, which are completely different from those in a singles match,” added the two-time Olympic medallist. “You have to understand where to return, choose the right shot at each moment… As the games have gone by, we have been feeling better and better, more comfortable in every sense. Of course we will make mistakes at some point. I doubt our rivals will: they know each other’s role, and we won’t have that from the start. We are very excited and we are very focused on trying to give ourselves options.”

Nadal knows what it’s like to win a gold medal alone (Beijing 2008) and also in a partner, something he did alongside Marc López at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. The challenge now is to repeat it with a 21-year-old partner who has burst onto the circuit by kicking down the door, winning four Grand Slam titles and becoming the youngest No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings in history.

“Carlos is a great player in every aspect,” Nadal praised. “He has a physique that makes a lot of difference: when you get to the ball with time and strength, because you move quickly, it allows your talent in your hand to shine much more,” explained the 22-time Grand Slam champion. “Nowadays, because of his youth and physical power, he has the necessary time to do it in situations where I can no longer reach, and that makes the difference. On a real level, I am not surprised at all because I know him and I have seen him play,” Nadal continued. “He seems to me to be a tennis player destined to be one of the best players in history. This is what I feel when I see him play. Then you don’t know what can happen in life, but in terms of tennis and talent he has everything to continue being at the top.”

The time has come: ‘Nadalalcaraz’ sets off in Paris.