Carlos Alcaraz had an eventful first Olympic experience as he made the final in singles but also played with a childhood hero with whom he had some really great discussions about tennis.
As a Spaniard, Alcaraz grew up watching Rafael Nadal achieve a lot on the tennis courts. The Spaniard was only five years old when Nadal bested Novak Djokovic in the semi-final of the Beijing Olympics before beating Fernando Gonzalez in the final to win the gold medal for his country.
It's a feat Alcaraz dreamed of repeating, and he nearly did at this year's Olympic Games. The Spaniard made the final and was favored against Djokovic, but still failed to win.
That puts Djokovic's success into perspective. Alcaraz was 5 when the Serbian nearly made the Olympic final in 2008, and then 16 years later, they would play in an Olympic final, and Djokovic won.
Besides making the final in his maiden Olympics, Alcaraz also got a chance to play doubles with Nadal. That was a great experience for him, but he made the most of it.
They couldn't win a medal, as they were eliminated in the match that would get them to the medal round, but overall, the 21-year-old loved the experience.
He got a chance to learn from Nadal both on and off the court and observe how he does things up close. This is valuable for a player who is still trying to carve his own path.
"It was a great experience, talking with Rafa off the court, knowing each other much better off the court. Playing doubles together was great, something I will never forget, for sure."
"I learned a lot talking to him, on court and off the court, as well. I think we played great tennis in doubles even if we are not used to playing doubles very often."
It was certainly a unique experience for Alcaraz, which he will probably not have a chance to repeat. Playing doubles with Nadal is unique, but doing so at the Olympics and wearing the Spanish red is something he won't be able to replicate again, and that's why he was disappointed that they lost.
"A little bit disappointing in the end because we thought we could do even better but in general, talking about myself, a dream came true for me, playing alongside Rafa."
"Sometimes when we were down, he was there in a positive way, talking to me like, ‘Right now, they are going to feel the pressure and we have to stay there and put balls in to get them in trouble.' Some situations you don’t see or it’s difficult to see, he sees very clear."
Alcaraz's first event back will be the 2024 Cincinnati Open, where he made the final last year. The defending champion, Novak Djokovic, won't be competing this year.