Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal have been confirmed to start their 2024 Olympics preparation in Paris, even thinking about practicing doubles together.
The more experienced Spaniard was in action on Sunday in Bastad, playing in the final against Nuno Borges. After exerting lots of energy to reach the final of the ATP 250 tournament, Nadal was left without much juice in the final, losing to the Portuguese player in two sets.
It wasn't a good match, which the Spaniard admitted afterwards, but there is no time to grieve because the Olympics are coming up. According to reports by the Spanish publication AS, Nadal had his first practice at Roland Garros on Monday, July 22nd.
The Spaniard practiced alone, but he should be joined by Alcaraz for joint practices in the coming days. According to the same report, Alcaraz also began his preparation for the Olympics in Paris on Monday with a private practice.
However, as noted above, he should have joint practices with Nadal in the coming days to practice doubles together. Both are already in the Olympic village, where they should be staying, and many of fellow athletes have already approached the two stars, asking for pictures.
The Olympic event starts on Saturday, July 27th, so it's not even a full week that the two Spaniards will have to prepare for their doubles and singles bids. Players need to get ready and most of them would want at least a few practices before their first match.
The conditions will be slightly different from those at Roland Garros, and it is important to get acclimated to that. Alcaraz and Nadal need joint practice because they will be playing doubles, and they have never played doubles together before.
Doubles tennis might not be too complicated in principle, but so much of it comes down to timing, chemistry, and trusting each other, which simply doesn't exist without a pair playing together.
That's one of the reasons why Nadal wanted to play one preparation event with Alcaraz ahead of the Games. However, the timeline simply didn't work out, with Wimbledon ending the day before that preparation event was supposed to start.
Alcaraz shut it down immediately, and for good reason. He made a deep run at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, winning the event, and he needed that week to recover.
On the other hand, Nadal opted to play doubles with Casper Ruud in Bastad and showed himself in decent form, winning both of the matches before withdrawing prior to the semi-final match.
When it comes to Alcaraz, he doesn't have much doubles experience. However, with Nadal's experience and both being very motivated, there is hope that they could succeed under the five Olympic rings.
The practices and Nadal's recovery will be crucial. That week in Bastad looked good for him, but it ended on a sour note, especially as he got really tired towards the end.
If he doesn't recover in time, he could break down quickly, having to play both singles and doubles.
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