Nadal & Alcaraz prepare for doubles debut at Paris Olympics

The scene is genuinely incredible, but the adjective surely fails to do it justice. Late Wednesday morning, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz stepped out onto Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland Garros to share a high-octane practice session.

Under the orders of David Ferrer, captain of the Spanish team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the two players continued to fine-tune their games while 50 or so inquisitive pairs of eyes took in an event that was as unusual (they had only previously practised together once, at Indian Wells in 2022) as it was awesome.

During their first session, 14-time Roland Garros titlist Nadal and reigning Paris champ Alcaraz were focused on their singles campaigns. In the afternoon, after lunch, they returned to the court to put their minds to a challenge that has captured the imagination of the entire sports world: In Paris, Nadal and Alcaraz will play for Spain in doubles, competing together for the first time. Their high-profile partnership has stolen much of the limelight in the days leading up to the competition.

“The Olympic Games is the biggest event,” said Nadal. “We’ll be making an effort to ensure we can leave with the peace of mind that we have tried to go as far as possible. We haven’t been able to prepare like other pairs, but we have confidence in Carlos’ form. I hope that last week, when I spent a lot of time on court, helps me physically to raise the level so that this works.”

“I’m so excited as I arrive at the Games,” Alcaraz exclaimed. “I’m less experienced, but I hope to adapt quickly to doubles. For me it’s a dream to play with Rafa. The road is difficult but exciting. I’m going to enjoy it as much as possible. We hope to play many matches together. It’ll be something I never forget.”

Cómo debería llamarse esta pareja de dobles? 👀 @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/YqWI7LVfg6

— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) July 23, 2024

Preparations could not have been more different for the two players. While Alcaraz left London the Monday after winning Wimbledon and took a couple of days off before returning to practice on the clay courts in his native Murcia, Nadal competed in Bastad — his first event since Roland Garros — reaching the final before heading back to Paris.

The two stars will join forces in doubles competition for the first time Saturday as they embark on a campaign to earn an Olympic medal for Spain.

“We haven’t crossed paths much recently, but it’s an opportunity to spend some time together and learn from these new generations,” Nadal said. “Being with him is rejuvenating and it reminds you of when you were 20. It’s amazing to see him experience his first Olympic Games knowing that he is one of the star attractions, something he copes with amazingly well.

“He shows what a professional he is in the way he is with teammates, and that’s the legacy you leave in sport and for those teammates. He always has a smile and he’s happy to talk to anyone. It’s great to have role models like him,” added Nadal.

“I have everything to learn from Nadal,” countered Alcaraz. “The way he competes, his grit on court, never giving up on a single point… His ability to turn problems on their head is admirable and I always try to follow his example on and off the court. His humility, with everything he has achieved, is certainly commendable.”

Those mutual words of praise continued throughout Wednesday, amidst the jokes and light-hearted banter that were very much the flavour of the day: “You’re not allowed to wrong-foot him!” Carlos Moya told Alcaraz after the 21-year-old won a point by doing just that.

We will see their game faces on Saturday, but don’t be surprised to see a few more smiles, too.

This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es.