Thiem hopes for Paris

Nadal and Alcaraz compete in the Olympic doubles

Rafael Nadal (left) and Carlos Alcaraz compete together in Paris.(Bild: AFP/GETTY IMAGES/David Becker)

Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal (38) will be at the Olympic Games in Paris and will compete in the doubles with French Open winner Carlos Alcaraz (21). The expected doubles combination was confirmed by the Spanish Tennis Federation on Wednesday. "Good news," commented tennis icon Boris Becker on X.

Nadal, who has been plagued by many injuries, had set participation in the Summer Games (July 26 to August 11) as one of his goals for what will probably be his last season. He is aiming for his third gold medal in the Olympic doubles competition. The Spaniard was Olympic champion in the singles in 2008 and triumphed in the doubles with Marc López in 2016.

Thiem hopes for the Olympic Games
The Olympic tennis tournament will be held at the Stade Roland Garros, where Nadal is the record champion. Alcaraz, who is regarded as his successor in Spanish tennis, won the French Open there for the first time last Sunday in the final against the German Alexander Zverev.

Dominic Thiem(Bild: APA/AFP/WILLIAM WEST)

It has still not been decided who will receive the two singles wild cards for former Grand Slam winners from the International Tennis Federation (ITF): Nadal is clearly in pole position, while Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem are also candidates. The latter has not yet given up hope of competing under the sign of the five rings, as manager Moritz Thiem also signaled on Wednesday. "There's still a chance," said the younger brother of the former world number three, who is retiring at the end of the season.