Rafael Nadal comments on the crowds at the Paris Olympic Games after reaching the men’s doubles quarterfinals.
His partnership with Carlos Alcaraz is living up to the hype so far as they produced a ruthless match tiebreak to claim a 6-4, 6-7(2), 10-2 victory.
Nadal is aiming to win a third Olympic gold medal in what is likely to be the final Games of his illustrious career.
Fans are thrilled seeing the 37-year-old team with his younger compatriot and four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz for what could be the first and last time this happens.
Rafael Nadal shares his thoughts on Paris Olympic crowds
In what could possibly be the final season of his career, Nadal is enjoying every moment he has a chance to compete.
The crowds at Roland Garros have roared on the 22-time Grand Slam champion through each match of the Olympics and he has certainly fed off their energy.
Post-match, Nadal took the time to praise the crowd for how they are supporting both him and Alcaraz. “The atmosphere has been impressive and I am enjoying every match I play here, with a love and support that is hard to imagine.,” he said.
“We are enjoying it together and it is something beautiful because we know that it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
This in contrast to Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, who received some boos when he walked on to court to face veteran Gael Monfils, who was playing in front of his home fans in France.
He told Ubitennis: “I didn’t like all those whistles when entering the court, these are things I don’t like because I like healthy values like respect. I understand the cheering, but the boos when entering the court seemed too much to me.”
What is Rafael Nadal’s next match at the Paris Olympics?
Nadal and Alcaraz will be back in action on Wednesday to play their doubles quarter-final against the experienced American pair of Austin Krajicek and 2016 Olympic silver medallist Rajeev Ram.
The 40-year-old reached the gold medal match in the mixed doubles with Venus WIlliams where they were beaten by Jack Sock and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Ram and Krajicek began their Paris Olympics campaign by defeating Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur for the loss of just five games.
In round two they faced Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro and Thiago Seyboth Wild and claimed a 6-4, 7-6(3) win to book their quarter-final contest against the mighty Spanish duo.
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