“For me, it could be a dream playing doubles with Nadal in the Olympics” – Alcaraz

The new world No 1 says he hopes to see Nadal back at 100 percent next year

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Madrid Open Image Credit: Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic

May 27, 2023

World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz has said it would be a dream come true for him to partner compatriot Rafael Nadal at next year’s Paris Olympics.

Nadal, who won the doubles gold with Marc Lopez at the 2016 Olympics, is missing from this year’s French Open after he announced that he would be taking an extended break to recover from injuries. The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who has not played since the Australian Open, has said he hopes to return and play next year, which he added could likely be his last season on the tour.

With the Paris Olympics being held at Roland-Garros, a tournament that Nadal has won 14 times in his career, many expect Nadal to be motivated to return for a double dose of the French Open and Olympics next year. And among them is Alcaraz, the top seed in Paris this year and one of the favorites to succeed Nadal in Paris this year.

“For me, it could be a dream playing doubles with him in the Olympics,” Alcaraz told the media in Paris on Friday. “Let’s see how he’s doing and how he’s going in this year. Hopefully, he’s going great. But for me, it could be a dream to play doubles with him.”

“Hoping to see Rafa Nadal next year that he’s 100%” – Alcaraz

Alcaraz admitted that he would miss Nadal in Paris this year and hopes that his compatriot returns to the tour being 100 percent fit.

“I felt bad when I hear that Rafa, he was not able to play here in Roland Garros and probably the rest of the year,” the 20-year-old said. “As I said before, as a fan of tennis, I always like to watch Rafa playing. I always want to watch the best players in the world playing the tournaments. And of course, learning from them really close, here in the locker rooms around the club, the tournament for me is great. When I hear that, for me, it was tough to understand how it’s going to be without Rafa this year. Hoping to see him next year that he’s 100%, hopefully.”

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