Tennis at the Olympics

Nadal and Alcaraz delight fans as a duo for the first time

Rafael Nadal (left) and Carlos Alcaraz

(Bild: EPA)

It was probably the most eagerly awaited tennis doubles match in a long, long time. Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal were both eager to play as a duo for the first time, as were the fans. And the debut of the two magicians did not disappoint, enchanting 15,000 spectators on Court Philippe Chartrier - and beating Gonzalez/Molteni 7:6, 6:4.

The news had hit like a bomb a few weeks ago: 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, probably the hottest star in tennis at the moment, wanted to represent Spain together in the doubles at the Olympics. 

On the first day of the competitions at Roland Garros, this became a reality when Nadal and Alcaraz played their first round match against the Argentinian doubles specialists Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, seeded number 6 at the Games and initially clearly superior due to their routine.

Alcaraz in particular, who had already played his singles match against the Lebanese and won 6:3, 6:1, was somewhat affected by his lack of doubles practice. The 21-year-old made a few mistakes and also gave up his serve.

The stars had already rehearsed a few moves.

(Bild: AFP/AFP or licensors)

But it was he who gradually turned the tide with his powerful strokes and, above all, delighted the 15,000 fans in the world's largest clay court stadium as usual. Once again, he hit the most incredible balls, hitting sensational winners. When the Spaniards took the first set 7:4 in the tie-break, the crowd, which was almost exclusively on their side anyway, exploded.

In the second set, Nadal, who had already won Olympic gold in the doubles with Marc Lopez in 2016, also swung his legendary forehand through for a winner or two. It was again Alcaraz who managed the break to 5:4 with a backhand passing ball and who converted the match point with a curious volley to make it 7:6, 6:4. After that, however, there were mainly chants of "Rafa! After all, he has won 14 French Open titles on this court.

Djokovic only lost one game
Nadal will also play his first-round singles match against Marton Fucsovics (Ung) on Sunday. If he wins, he would face Novak Djokovic, who rolled over Matthew Ebden (Aus) 6:0, 6:1, in the giants' duel.