Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal have gone crashing out of the Olympics after their defeat to Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
Alcaraz was excited to play Olympic doubles with Nadal, and that dream was fulfilled when the pair got together in Paris.
But the Spanish stars couldn’t make it past their American opponents, who ran out 6-2, 6-4 winners on the clay.
Alcaraz has had injury issues at the Olympics, with Nadal having been struggling with his fitness for quite some time.
That may just have played a part in their quarter-final defeat, along with the fact that both are more used to playing singles.
Carlos Alcaraz sends message to Rafael Nadal after their Olympics loss
But Nadal and Alcaraz provided the Olympics crowd with plenty of entertaining moments, with the latter really grateful for the experience.
Tagging Nadal on Instagram, Alcaraz wrote: “Thank you very much Rafa for this week and for having shared the track with me playing for Spain!
“Couldn’t be today, but I’m taking a lot of things for the future! It was very special!”
Can Carlos Alcaraz replicate Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam success?
There were plenty of expectations on the Spanish stars going into the tournament, with many expecting a podium finish.
Alcaraz only just lifted the French Open title at the venue, while Nadal is a 14-time French Open champion, and a 22-time Grand Slam winner.
But doubles is a different event entirely, with their latest opponents Krajicek and Ram specialists in that area.
Alcaraz will, however, have learned a great deal from the experience, with Nadal one of the best to ever play the game.
But with four Grand Slam titles already aged just 21, Alcaraz is well on his way to replicating the success of his compatriot.
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