World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz remains hopeful that compatriot Rafael Nadal will be healthy in time to play at next year's Paris Olympics, calling their potential doubles union a 'dream'.
Alcaraz's admiration for the 22-time Grand Slam champion stems from his junior days while growing up in Murcia. No wonder he embodies some of Nadal's attributes such as his charisma, work ethic, and mentality. In one of his earlier interviews, Alcaraz called Nadal 'an idol of all Spanish fans and sports'.
History and honor is what the Olympic Games are all about. Besides competing in singles competition, tennis players will also get a chance to contest for medals in the doubles and mixed doubles field, which doesn't happen frequently on the regular tennis calendar.
It's not the first time that Alcaraz stated his desire to join forces with his childhood idol at next year's Olympic Games. Nadal is planning for a farewell season in 2024 provided he can recover from hip surgery, and the Parisian clay would be a fitting send-off to one of the tennis' greatest warriors.
Alcaraz was empathetic with what Nadal has gone through but remains hopeful that he'll be hitting his straps on a tennis court and be ready to compete in Paris next year. The 20-year-old adds that he'll need to be healthy himself, as a lot can change between now and next June.
"Yes, of course, I mean, he's struggling a lot. Hopefully, he can practice, he can be able to play next year since the beginning of the year, hopefully have a good Rafa, a healthy Rafa to the Olympic Games."
"Obviously for me would be a dream to play doubles with him in Paris. So it depends on both. Obviously, until Paris, there are a lot of months that things can happen. I have to be healthy, to work hard, to be ready to play the Olympic Games. Obviously for him the same. Let's see how it's going to be. But obviously, it's going to be a dream."
0 Comments