Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz to play doubles for Spain in Paris Olympics

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will play doubles together at the Paris Olympics, the Spanish tennis federation announced on Wednesday.

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in action during The Netflix Slam at Michelob ULTRA Arena on March 03, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will play doubles together for Spain at the upcoming Paris Olympics, the Spanish tennis federation said Wednesday.

The announcement comes three days after the 21-year-old Alcaraz won the French Open for the first time — earning his third Grand Slam trophy.

Alcaraz is widely seen as the heir to Nadal in Spanish tennis and has frequently remarked that Nadal was his childhood hero.

The 38-year-old Nadal already owns Olympic gold medals in singles (2008) and doubles (2016 with Marc López) alongside his 22 Grand Slam titles.

“Rafa and Carlos will be playing together in Paris,” said Spain captain David Ferrer, while announcing the squad.

“One pair, which I think everyone knows and was hoping for is Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal and the second pair is yet to be decided, it hasn’t been 100% confirmed yet. We’ll wait a bit before announcing that.” Ferrer told reporters.

Alcaraz has set winning an Olympic medal for Spain as one of his top career goals. He said after winning at Roland Garros that this year, he would prefer a gold medal at the Paris Olympics over successfully defending his Wimbledon title.

“The Olympic Games are every four years, and it’s a special tournament where you’re not only playing for yourself, but for a country, representing every Spaniard,” the No. 2-ranked Alcaraz said. “I think this year I’d choose Olympic gold.”

The 38-year-old Nadal, who will also play singles, already owns Olympic gold medals in singles (2008) and doubles (2016 with Marc López) to go alongside his 22 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal, who lost to Alexander Zverev in the first round at Roland Garros this year, said this is likely his last year on tour after a series of injuries.

The other Spain players in the men’s Olympic team will be Pablo Carreno Busta, Alejandro Davidovich and Marcel Granollers.

Captain Anabel Medina picked No. 55 Sara Sorribes Tormo and No. 67 Cristina Bucsa — the top-ranked Spanish players — for the women’s team, with Paula Badosa deciding not to compete as she only has two more events to play while using her protected ranking.

The Paris Olympics is scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 11.