Carlos Alcaraz

Spanish stars Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz form dream team for Paris Olympics 2024 – India TV

Danijones5 months ago03 mins

Image Source : GETTY Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal during the BNP Paribas Open game in Indian Wells on March 19, 2022 In a big treat to fans, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are set to play together in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024. The Royal Spanish Tennis Federation revealed that the star duo will represent Spain in the men’s doubles in the Summer Olympics on Wednesday, June 12. Nadal, the recipient of a record 14 French Open titles, will partner the latest Roland-Garros winner Alcaraz in the Olympics. Fans were tipping both players to feature together in the Paris Olympics as the 22-time Grand Slam winner is rapidly approaching his retirement from professional tennis. Alcaraz, 21, bagged his maiden French Open title by beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the five-set thriller last Sunday. Alcaraz revealed his desire to win a gold in the Olympics after his selection in the Spain’s star-studded team. “The Olympic Games are every four years and it’s a special tournament where you’re not only playing for yourself, but for a country, representing every Spaniard,” Alcaraz said. “I think this year I’d choose Olympic gold.” Nadal also set his eyes on the Paris Olympics after a disappointing first-round exit at Roland Garros. Nadal, who famously won the Gold in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, said that playing in Paris is his main goal. “My main goal now is to play Olympics,” Nadal said on May 27. “That’s going to be here. So I need to prepare myself the proper way to try to arrive here healthy and well prepared, and then let’s see.” Notably, Nadal is only male tennis player after Andre Agassi to win all four Grand Slam medals and Olympics gold in singles, making it a ‘career golden slam’. Alcaraz will also be chasing this historic feat having already won Wimbledon (2023) and US Open (2022). Spain’s men’s team for the Paris Olympics: Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Pablo Carreno Busta, Alejandro Davidovich and Marcel Granollers. Spain’s women’s team for the Paris Olympics: Anabel Medina, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Cristina Bucsa.

Madrid Open 2024: Carlos Alcaraz crashes out in quarters after losing to Andrey Rublev

Danijones6 months ago04 mins

Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes of becoming the first player to win three-straight Madrid Open titles came undone as the second seed fell to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, loss in front of his home crowd to Russian seventh seed Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. The 20-year-old two-times grand slam champion was not at his best despite taking the opening set in 41 minutes, while Rublev put in a dominant performance to roar back and snap Alcaraz’s 14-match winning streak at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament. It will be Rublev’s first semi-final in Madrid. The 26-year-old was on a four-match losing streak coming into the clay-court event. “Maybe this week is a relief but then next week we go back to the same… so better not to think this way because when you start to think ‘Oh, how good everything is’ that’s what happened at the beginning of the season,” Rublev said. “Then, for six weeks, I wasn’t winning anything. It’s better to not think at all. It’s not bad, it’s not good. It’s just a moment. It happens to everyone, every player has been through these moments. “The most important thing is to keep working and improving and then remember that one week can change anything.” Rublev completely outplayed Alcaraz in the deciding set, racing to a 4-1 lead before he wrapped up his comeback. Rublev will next face the winner of the clash between American 12th seed Taylor Fritz and Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo, who play later on Wednesday. Alcaraz focussing on ‘normal forehand’ Alcaraz was the last Spaniard standing after 22-times Grand Slam winner Rafa Nadal exited the tournament following a straight sets defeat to the Czech Republic’s 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the round of 16 on Tuesday. Having successfully defended his Indian Wells title in March and then reached the Miami Open quarter-finals, Alcaraz injured his right forearm during a practice session in Monaco and he continues to struggle with the problem that has derailed the start of his claycourt season. “I have to keep working to recover my normal forehand without thinking about my forearm. Today I thought about it more than yesterday,” Alcaraz told reporters. “I think that in Rome, I will continue to play with it (an arm sleeve) as a precaution. “The balance is positive, but when I go out on court I don’t want to lose. If we look at the overall it has been a very good week.” Published By: sabyasachi chowdhury Published On: May 2, 2024