Carlos Alcaraz had a memorable first Olympic experience as he reached the singles final, but he also played alongside a childhood hero with whom he discussed tennis.
As a Spaniard, the 2024 Wimbledon champion grew up watching Rafael Nadal make his mark on the court. He was just 5 years old when the 22-time Grand Slam winner beat Novak Djokovic in the Beijing Olympics semi-finals before defeating Fernando Gonzalez in the final to win gold for his country.
It is a feat the French Open champion will be keen to repeat this year and he came close to doing so at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He made the final and was the favourite to beat Djokovic, but he fell just short.
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That puts Djokovic’s success in a certain light. The Spaniard was just 5 years old when the Serb almost reached the final of the 2008 Olympics, then 16 years later, they met in the final of the same sporting event and this time the Serb took home the gold medal.
As well as making the singles final, he also had the chance to play the men’s doubles with Nadal. It was a great experience for him and he made the most of it.
The two Spanish stars were unable to win a medal after being eliminated in matches that would have sent them into the medal round, but overall, the 21-year-old loved the experience.
He had the chance to learn from Nadal, both on and off the court. This is very valuable for a tennis player who is still trying to pave the way for his career.
“It was a great experience, talking to Rafa off the court, getting to know each other a lot better off the court. Playing doubles was great, something I will never forget, for sure,” Carlos Alcaraz said.
“I learned a lot talking to him, on and off the court. I think we played a great doubles game even if we are not used to playing doubles.”
“A little bit disappointing at the end, because we thought we could have played even better, but in general, speaking for myself, it was a dream come true for me, playing with Rafa.”
“Sometimes when we were down, he was always positive, talking to me like, ‘Right now, they are going to feel the pressure and we have to defend and put the ball in and make it difficult for them’. Some situations that you don’t see or are hard to see, he sees very clearly.”
Meanwhile, Alcaraz’s first tournament after the Olympics will be the Cincinnati Open.
