Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz were dumped out of the Olympics men’s doubles event, losing the chance to fight for a medal in Nadal’s last Games. The 38-year-old already has gold medals in both singles and doubles, and he was hoping to add to his collection one last time.
Nadal’s future now remains uncertain. He previously said he would comment on his career plans after the Olympics but still had no idea as recently as Monday.
But it may have been the last time fans saw him on Court Philippe-Chatrier at Stade Roland Garros as he and Alcaraz were ousted by No. 4 seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram 6-2 6-4.
The Americans were by far the toughest opponents that ‘Nadalcaraz’ had faced. Both have reached No. 1 in the world and Ram has four men’s doubles Grand Slam titles, while Krajicek won the French Open doubles last year. Their experience was clear to see as Nadal and Alcaraz struggled to get past them, with the fourth seeds proving to be like brick walls up at the net.
Krajicek and Ram immediately drew first blood, breaking in the opening game, and it made the first set an uphill battle for the Spaniards. They constantly seemed under pressure on serve. And Alcaraz crumbled in a lengthy game while serving at 2-4, giving away another break on a double fault. The Spanish duo blew their first break point and Ram served out the first set in 43 minutes.
Nadal and Alcaraz raised their level in the second set but it still wasn’t enough to trouble either of the Americans in their service games. But the fans in the biggest showcourt at Stade Roland Garros were clearly on their side, booing anyone who dared to cheer for the USA.
But Alcaraz was suddenly in more trouble, facing a triple break point on his serve. And there was drama when a forehand winner from the Americans was called out, only for the chair umpire to come down and overrule it. Boos rang out around Chatrier as the Spaniard tried to plead their case but they had no luck and Krajicek and Ram got the break.
It’s not known whether the doubles match will prove to be the last of Nadal’s career. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has repeated on several occasions that he will make a decision about his future and whether he will retire once the Olympics is over, though he has committed to playing in September’s Laver Cup.
But, after losing to long-time rival Novak Djokovic in the singles on Monday, it sounded like he still hadn’t come to a conclusion. “I come here, I try my best, I play and when I decide to stop playing or when I decide to keep going, I will let you know,” he said.
“I don’t know, I just try my best every single day, trying to enjoy a thing that I have been enjoying for so much time. I have been suffering a lot of injuries the last two years so if I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going or physically I’m not ready enough to keep going, I will stop and I will let you know. But I mean, I don’t think every day about if I am retiring or not.
