NEW DELHI: The
tennis
realm felt a whiff of fresh air when it was made official that
Carlos Alcaraz
would pair up with
Rafael Nadal
at the
Paris Olympics
2024.
Since the announcement, a few days have passed, and the dust has settled down a bit. World number two Alcaraz now has expressed his anticipation and eagerness to gain insights and learn from the 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal as they team up for the doubles event at Paris 2024.
Alcaraz, a three-time Grand Slam champion himself at the age of 21, is set to participate in both singles and doubles events at the Games, following his recent triumph at the French Open held at
Roland Garros
.
At the tender age of 21, Alcaraz has already achieved remarkable success, having won three Grand Slam titles, and will be making his Olympic debut in Paris.
Alcaraz acknowledged the significance of this partnership, stating that he did not initially expect to play doubles at the Olympic Games with Nadal. However, he expressed his happiness and gratitude for this chance, saying (as quoted by Reuters), "I didn’t expect to play doubles at the Olympic Games with Rafa. Honestly, I feel he is going to teach me how to deal with everything. I am the young guy who needs to grow up as a player, to grow up as a person as well."
Played on clay this time, the Olympic tennis tournament is scheduled to take place from July 27 to August 4, providing Alcaraz and Nadal with an opportunity to showcase their skills and potentially add another prestigious title to their respective resumes.
While Nadal has decided to skip the upcoming
Wimbledon
tournament to focus on his preparation for the Olympics, Alcaraz will return to action at the Queen's Club Championships in London before defending his title at Wimbledon next month.
"Of course, it’s going to be my first Olympic Games. Everything is new for me, so I hope to learn a lot from him," he added.
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