Toni Nadal has been sharing something he noticed on Sunday when Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Olympics in Paris.
It ended a run of defeats for the Serbian player against the Spanish sensation and saw Djokovic win the final piece of his professional tennis jigsaw.
Rafael Nadal took part in the Olympics – losing to Djokovic in the second round – and played alongside Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s doubles.
The uncle of Rafael has been quizzed on the entertaining final and he’s admitted that one thing about the performance of Alcaraz left him feeling perplexed.
What Toni Nadal found curious about Olympics final
Alcaraz was beaten in straight sets after failing to grab a break of serve from the man who has won 24 Grand Slam titles during his career.
Djokovic hasn’t won one this year though but will view this as a crown that he desperately wanted to claim.
Nadal has shared what he found really surprising during the final on Sunday – and it was a main reason behind Alcaraz losing.
He told El Pais: “The men’s tennis final and the subsequent fight for the gold medal between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic deserve special mention. Our great player was defeated in an intense and tight match that ended in favour of the Serbian by a double 7-6.
“It is true that the Spaniard was the top favourite to add Olympic success to his trophy cabinet, but on this occasion, he came up against a great Djokovic who reminded us of his best versions.
“The match was very even throughout, played with great intensity and with continuous exchanges from the back of the court. This is attested to by the curious fact that neither of the two contenders managed to break their opponent’s serve.
“The key to Carlos’ defeat was his lack of success with the eight break points he had in the first set. I think that if he had been able to convert any of them, victory would probably have gone his way.”
Alcaraz will bounce back from Olympics blow
The youngster will come again when it comes to the Olympics and perhaps Los Angeles in 2028 will be his time to wear the gold medal.
Clearly, Alcaraz was the architect of his own downfall to a certain extent and surprisingly didn’t claim.
It’s the one trait that has made him so dangerous this season on his run to winning the French Open and Wimbledon crowns.
Alcaraz didn’t actually lose his own serve either during the final and it really was just a case of two tie-breaks that went in the favour of Djokovic.
There is all to play for in terms of the 21-year-old for this season, however, with the US Open and the ATP Tour Finals to come.
Alcaraz was clearly bitterly disappointed after losing the Olympics final to Djokovic but as Nadal claims, his time will indeed come in the future.
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