When can Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz meet at the Paris Olympics 2024? Checking out how long until the Spaniards lock horns at the Olympic Games
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are set to compete in the Paris Olympics 2024. This will be the former's third appearance at the Games, and he has won the gold medal in singles and doubles in the past, while the latter will be making his debut. The draws for all five tennis events were revealed on Thursday, July 25.
Fans will have to wait until the very end if they want to see a showdown between Nadal and Alcaraz. The two have been placed in opposite halves of the draw, and they won't cross paths until the gold medal play-off match, which will take place on Sunday, August 4.
With tennis at the Paris Olympics being contested at Roland Garros, both players are quite at home at the venue. Nadal is the most successful player in the history of the French Open, with a 112-4 record and 14 titles at the venue. However, he was knocked out in the first round this year.
Alcaraz, on the other hand, went on to win his first title at the claycourt Major. He backed it up with a successful title defence at Wimbledon by beating Novak Djokovic in a re-match of last year's final. Speaking of the Serb, Nadal is likely to face him in the second round here.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz's previous encounter took place over two years ago
Fans have been clamoring for a match-up between Nadal and Alcaraz for a long time now. The 38-year-old's lengthy injury hiatus put a pause to their rivalry, which could be re-ignited if they cross paths at the Paris Olympics.
Their last match happened at the Madrid Open two years ago, which went Alcaraz's way. It marked his first victory over his older compatriot. Nadal won their first couple of matches, at the Indian Wells Masters in 2022, and the Madrid Open in 2021.
The 22-time Major champion recently reached his first final since winning the French Open a couple of years ago. He competed at the Swedish Open in Bastad prior to the Paris Olympics, and finished as the runner-up to Nuno Borges.
Alcaraz has been in great form, having claimed back-to-back Major titles. He spent most of the clay swing prior to the French Open on the sidelines due to an injury, so this has been a remarkable turnaround for him.
While their highly-anticipated singles contest may or may not materialize, the two Spaniards have teamed up to compete in men's doubles as well. They are up against the Argentine pair of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, and will play their first-round match on either July 27 (Saturday) or July 28 (Sunday).