Carlos Alcaraz calls it a dream to have played doubles with Rafael Nadal

Sometimes dreams do come true: not always and not for everyone, but Carlos Alcaraz knows everything about making your dreams come trueThe Spaniard got the chance to collaborate with his idol Rafael Nadal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and it was a dream experience.

The Spaniard shared the court with his legendary compatriot in the men’s doubles tournament, a partnership that thrilled many fans, as evidenced by the number of spectators who attended their matches.

Thank you very much Rafa for this moment and for your compartido pista conmigo jugando por 🇪🇸! Hoy no ha podido ser, pero me llevo un montón de cosas para el future! Ha sido muy special! ❤️ @RafaelNadal photo.twitter.com/qkF46dslVf

— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) July 31, 2024

“It was a great experience. We got to know each other better off the court. Playing doubles with him was great. Something I will never forget, that’s for sure. I learned a lot from talking to him, both on and off the court. I think we played great tennis together, even though we don’t play doubles that often. In the end it was a shame because we thought we could do better, but personally my dream to play with him came true“, said Carlitos, in the words of Punto de Break, with which Alcaraz tried to describe the emotions he felt when playing with Nadal.

Alcaraz and Nadal won their first two matches against Maximo Gonzalez/Andres Molteni and Tallon Griekspoor/Wesley Koolhof, but retired in the quarterfinals. Their journey was ended by Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek, who went on to win a silver medal. Alcaraz revealed at the Media Day of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati that one of his main goals is to return to ATP No. 1 and to achieve his dream, he will have to beat competition from Jannik Sinner. There are 820 points separating Sinner and Alcaraz in the rankings, 450 of which are far away in the Race to Turin.

“I’m fighting to be first in the race, I want to get there as soon as possible. Cincinnati is a very important tournament, so I’ll try to play good tennis and we’ll see how it goes. I’ve probably won most of my matches this year without playing great tennis. Mentally, I’ve been strong in some situations and I’m very happy about that. I’m excited about the way I’m dealing with certain situations: I always stay there, even when I know I’m not playing great tennis. I always stay positive and try to find solutions,” he said.

Speaking about last year’s incredible final loss to Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz said: “I can’t wait to compete here again and I’m happy to be back. I have great memories: reaching the final and losing an epic match.”

Speaking to Eurosport after the Olympic tournament in Paris, the young Spaniard explained: “I already appreciate the silver medal a lot, because I know how difficult it is and I enjoy the moment. Now I feel good and I enjoy wearing it. Of course it was difficult for me when I left the track because of my strong ambition. But you have to put everything in perspective, think about how complicated it is to win an Olympic medal. During the award ceremony, on the podium, I said to myself: You have to appreciate this moment, you don’t know if it will happen again.

A lot can happen in four years and I hope to compete in Los Angeles in 2028. The Olympic Games are one of the most special competitions there is. Representing your country at the Olympic Games is one of the most beautiful things about sports in general. And for me it was really exciting to compete and try to make all the Spaniards happy. Playing doubles with Rafael Nadal? There were moments when I got goose bumps during the matches with him. It is something I will never forget and that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

more videos from Carlitos entrenando🔝🫶🏼

(📹 humayl.hashmi / cabungcaljp and instagram) photo.twitter.com/ufEAqfEyEB

— Carlos Alcaraz Italia🫶🏼 (@alcaraz_italia) August 14, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz tells fans not to push the children at the front of the crowd while they are signing autographs.

“Guys, there are kids in the front.. okay. No pushing.”

Class act. ❤️

photo.twitter.com/XyboSAYdQP

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 12, 2024

My beautiful JOY yesterday at training.
I love you, @carlosalcaraz ♥️♥️♥️

📸: Thank you very much, @happychild13 on Instagram, for the pictures and video she sent me and because she is so close to Magical!🙏😘♥️ photo.twitter.com/iLnxroLmiJ

— Balasa Florina 🐝 (@FlorinaBalasa) August 12, 2024