Rafael Nadal is looking to add to his two Olympic gold medals with victory in Paris.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz have their hearts set on Olympic gold, with Alcaraz bidding to build on his French Open and Wimbledon titles already this summer.
It was a thrilling opener for the fresh duo, who powered past the Argentine pair of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni to set up a tie with a Dutch team in the next round.
Their new partnership quickly came together to overwhelm the sixth seeds despite Nadal donning some heavy strapping on his right thigh.
The clay court King and Prince showed off their speed, resilience and synergy in the opener, demonstrating that they might be medal contenders.
Former American number one Mardy Fish was one of many to heap praise on the tennis giants after their exciting display on Saturday.
Mardy Fish jokes that Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal should be disqualified from the Olympics
With such prowess and a total of 15 French Open titles between them, 14 of which are Nadal’s, the pair are looking a formidable duo as they manage to capture the hearts of the tennis world.
Fish joked that it was ‘unfair’ for the pair to be able to compete together and immediately look so comfortable on court together.
He wrote on X: “I declare this team as not fair. Disqualify them for being too good immediately.”
While Fish never faced Nadal on clay, the American won just one of their nine battles during his career, with his only win coming on the hard courts in Cincinnati.
Nadal is now preparing to meet Novak Djokovic for their 60th tour level match in the second round, after the Spaniard moved past Marton Fucsovics in three sets.
What is Rafael Nadal’s doubles record actually like?
Considering his 22 major titles, the attention is far less frequently placed on Nadal’s doubles ability.
The Spaniard however has won 11 doubles titles in his career, including Olympic gold at Rio 2016 alongside Marc Lopez.
In 2005, Nadal even managed to achieve a ranking of 25th in the world and still today boasts a winning percentage of 64.8% (140–76).
His deft touch and positioning is a skill often overlooked when it comes to analysing the Nadal game, with his booming forehand often taking precedence.
The Spaniard is truly an all-rounder and with this lively partnership with Alcaraz, has the chance to boost his legendary career one piece of silverware further.
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