Nadal, Alcaraz tease Olympics doubles run

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz have teased the possibility of teaming up for doubles at the Paris Olympics.

On Friday, two-time Olympic gold medallist Nadal appeared on IGUALES, the Mutua Madrid Open’s official podcast, and raised the prospect of a fan-pleasing pairing with his fellow former World No. 1.

Hours earlier, a cautious Alcaraz admitted to being nervous about opening a discussion with Nadal about playing on the same side of the net during his Olympics debut in late July. But Nadal was quick to allay the fears the 20-year-old might have.

“[Carlos] doesn’t have to ask me anything, all things being well, we’ll play,” said Nadal, publicly declaring his desire to join forces with the man from Murcia. “It's also hugely exciting for me. If I'm not mistaken, I've heard it is for him too. So it would be great to play the odd tournament before the Olympics to prepare ourselves and to get some rapport on court.”

Alcaraz will have to adjust to having a teammate by his side on court; he has very little experience in doubles. In his professional career, US Open and Wimbledon champion has only played nine matches in the team format, none of them coming in the past two seasons.

“I think if we're both fit enough, why not? We could have the chance to form a great team and aspire to great things,” said Nadal. “It'd be good for both of us. I think it'd also be good for the Spanish team, so we'll see how things progress. I hope to be good enough to be a good partner for him, I'm sure he will be for me. We'll see where that takes us. I also hope to be able to work together a bit first.”

Nadal is one of the most experienced players on tour at the Olympics. The Mallorcan is the only active player to have won a gold medal in singles and doubles. The Spaniard won singles gold in Beijing in 2008, shortly before rising to the pinnacle of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time. Later, in Rio 2016, Nadal would complete his set by climbing to the top of the podium alongside his close friend Marc López.

- This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es