PICTURE: Rafael Nadal's stunning Paris Olympics update of him carrying the Olympic torch under a glittering Eiffel Tower goes viral
Multiple tennis stars including Rafael Nadal were involved in the Olympic Torch Relay during the opening ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The Spaniard was one of the surprise carriers of the iconic Olympic torch and his image of participating in the festivities under a glittering Eiffel Tower has gone viral.
The opening ceremony of the Paris Games took place on Friday, July 26. The iconic Olympic Torch Relay during the ceremony involved 24 athletes. Usually, the relay consists of athletes only from the home nation, however, France made an exception and invited some of the great Olympic athletes from other nations to participate in the relay.
Former French footballer Zinedine Zidane passed the Olympic torch to Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal at the Trocadero. Here, a mesmerizing image of the 14-time French Open winner was clicked as he carried the Olympic torch under the glittering lights of the Eiffel Tower.
He uploaded the image on his X (formerly Twitter) account and the post received over 3 million views.
Nadal carried the torch through the river Seine, where he was joined by four-time gold-medallist American Serena Williams, five-time gold-medallist Romanian Nadia Comaneci, and nine-time gold-medallist American, Carl Lewis.
Following the completion of the boat ride, the quartet handed the torch to two-time Grand Slam champion and French Open director Amelie Mauresmo.
Before the torch reached the Cauldron, which was located in the Jardin des Tuileries, it was even carried by Olympic Champion Charles Coste, who is 100 years old. He won the gold medal in cycling during the 1948 Olympics. French judo legend Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-Jose Perec lit the cauldron.
"A partnership tennis fans can fall in love with" - Rafael Nadal's coach Carlos Moya on Nadal-Alcaraz duo in Paris Olympics
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will begin their 2024 Paris Olympic Games campaign on Saturday, July 27, against sixth-seed Maximo González and Andrés Molteni of Argentina. Alcaraz will play the doubles match after completing his singles first-round clash against Lebanon's Hady Habib.
Nadal and Alcaraz's pair, dubbed as 'Nadalcaraz', is a duo that tennis fans can fall in love with, according to the 38-year-old's coach Carlos Moya.
"You see Rafa with his experience and charisma. And then you see Carlos, kind of like Rafa was aged 20 or 21, very expressive and effusive… Hopefully, they can keep going because it’s a partnership that tennis fans can fall in love with,” Moya said (via ATPTour).
Nadal, on the other hand, will begin his singles event later against Hungary's Marton Fucsovics.