Nadal on doubles with Alcaraz: 'It's more than just understanding each other'

  • Posted: Jul 27, 2024

Tennis gets underway at the Paris 2024 Olympics this Saturday and all eyes will be on the doubles pairing of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, dubbed ‘Nadalcaraz’, playing in Spanish colours.

“It’s an iconic image that could define an era,” explained Carlos Moyà, Nadal’s coach. “I watched the two training sessions they’ve had from the courtside and I had a great time. You see Rafa with his experience and charisma. And then you see Carlos, kind of like Rafa was aged 20 or 21, very expressive and effusive… Hopefully they can keep going because it’s a partnership that tennis fans can fall in love with.”

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Nadal and Alcaraz go into their first-round match against the Argentines Máximo González and Andrés Molteni after completing two doubles training sessions together: on Wednesday they won 6-4, 3-0 against Marcel Granollers and Pablo Carreño Busta and on Friday they were victorious again against the other Spanish pair by 6-3.

“It’s not just about understanding each other,” Nadal stressed. “We need to play doubles well individually. We’ve played very little doubles: Carlos hasn’t played for a long time and I played for two days last week, in Bastad. We have to make the doubles movements automatic, they’re completely different to those of a singles match,” the two-time Olympic medallist added.

“We have to know where to return, select the right shot in each situation… With each game, we’ve felt better and better, more comfortable all-round. We’ll make mistakes from time to time. I doubt our opponents will: they know their roles, and we’ll have to face that from the start. We’re very excited and very focused on giving ourselves the best chance.”

Nadal knows what it means to win a gold medal solo (Beijing 2008) and also in company, which he did with Marc López at the Rio 2016 Olympics. The challenge now is to do it again with a 21-year-old partner who has taken the circuit by storm, winning four Grand Slam titles and becoming the  youngest No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“Carlos is a brilliant player all-round,” Nadal said in praise of him. “His fitness sets him apart: when you reach the ball in good time and with power, because you move quickly, it allows the talent in your hand to shine much more. Right now, because of his youth and physical power, he has the time to do it in situations in which I can’t get there anymore, and that sets him apart.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all because I know him and I’ve seen him play,” Nadal continued. “I think he’s a player destined to be one of the all-time greats. That’s what I sense when I see him play. You don’t know what will happen in life, but in terms of tennis and talent he has everything he needs to stay at the top.”

The time has come: ‘Nadalcaraz’ is set for its much-anticipated debut in Paris.

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