Rafael Nadal insists that he doesn’t have much time left in professional tennis, but a doubles partnership with Carlos Alcaraz may be in the cards before Nadal’s career comes to an end.
Speaking at the Mutua Madrid Open, where Nadal currently finds himself in the third round, he indicated that the current plan is for the two Spaniards to team up at the Paris Olympics this summer.
“[Carlos] doesn’t have to ask me anything,” Nadal assured (translated from Spanish), referencing the fact that Alcaraz had previously said he was nervous about asking his countryman to play. “All things being well, we’ll play. 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.
“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. It would be good for both of us. I think it would 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 captured men’s doubles gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics with partner Marc Lopez. The 37-year-old is also a gold medal winner in singles, having triumphed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Alcaraz has rarely played doubles in the relatively early stages of his career. The 20-year-old has taken the court for doubles a grand total of nine times–including none in the past two seasons.
