Alcaraz/Nadal win doubles debut at Paris Olympics | ATP Tour

Paris Olympics

Alcaraz/Nadal win doubles debut at Paris Olympics

Spaniards fought again from 0-3 in second set

July 27, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal made a roaring begin to their much-anticipated doubles debut Saturday on the Paris 2024 Olympics, the place the Spanish duo ousted sixth-seeded Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6(4), 6-4 to succeed in the second spherical.

Alcaraz, who started the day with a singles victory in his Olympics debut, made a nervy begin, dropping serve within the opening sport and needing to fend off two break factors in his second service sport. But it surely was the extra skilled 38-year-old Nadal, in his fourth Olympics look, who helped settle the staff with banana-curling forehand winners and lightning-fast reflexes at internet.

Each carrying Spanish crimson shirts and white shorts, Alcaraz and Nadal resorted to a ‘two again’ technique on return, with the lefty Nadal returning on the deuce facet. Alcaraz and Nadal then regarded for early alternatives to make use of angles and work their method ahead to grab management of rallies. They gained a mini-break benefit at 3/3 within the opening-set tie-break, when Alcaraz blasted a forehand that clipped the web twine and deflected off Gonzalez’s racquet body.

Alcaraz and Nadal trailed 0-3 within the second set, earlier than tallying three consecutive video games and constructing upon their momentum, incomes an important break at 4-4. The 92-time tour-level titlist Nadal then served out the match, accompanied by followers chanting, “Rafa! Rafa!” underneath the Courtroom-Philippe Chatrier roof.

Nadal, a two-time gold medallist (2008 Beijing singles, 2016 Rio doubles w/ Marc Lopez), performed everything of the one-hour, 47-minute match together with his higher proper leg taped, however the lefty confirmed no indicators of hindered motion.

Up subsequent for the pair of former World No. 1’s within the PIF ATP Rankings are Dutchmen Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof or Hungarians Marton Fucsovics and Fabian Marozsan. Fucsovics is Nadal’s first-round singles opponent.

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— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 27, 2024