World No.2 and Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz is hopeful of learning from his idol Rafael Nadal at the upcoming Paris Olympics. Alcaraz will team up with his compatriot for the Games for the doubles event.
The youngster wasn’t expecting to be playing with the 22-time Grand Slam champion. While Alcaraz will play in the upcoming Wimbledon before the Olympics, Nadal has decided to opt out of the Championships as he didn’t want to change surface.
Meanwhile, Nadal won the gold in singles in 2008 in the Beijing Olympics, and he won another gold in doubles in 2016.
“I didn’t expect to play doubles at the Olympic Games with Rafa,” Alcaraz, a three-time Grand Slam champion, told reporters Monday. “It is a unique moment for me but of course I am very happy about it. … It’s going to be a great time.
“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.”
Alcaraz acknowledged that this being his first Olympics, “Everything is new for me, so I hope to learn a lot from him.”
The Olympic tennis tournament runs from July 27 to Aug. 4 whereas Wimbledon will begin on July 1.
Alcaraz won the Championships in 2023 after beating Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller. Interestingly, Alcaraz had won only four tour-level matches on grass before Queen’s club championship in 2023 but went on win back to back tournaments to surprise one and all.
