It’s not over till they say it’s over! Who are they? Well, they are two G.O.A.T.s of the tennis world, who are currently chasing for a ‘dream retirement.’ Both Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have dictated the matches on their own terms throughout their career, but now age has taken a toll on both of them! Murray stepped away from competing in the singles event this year, while Nadal was also a bit hesitant about his participation in the singles event, but he ultimately went on with it. However, Rafa was defeated in the R2 by another tennis great, Novak Djokovic. Now, the doubles event is the only hope for Nadal-Murray, but will fans get the chance to see them take on each other?
Shortly after his defeat to Djokovic, Nadal made it very clear that, “It’s a tough defeat, but I don’t need to change my outlook.” He admitted that he came here to play in two competitions, knowing from the beginning that he surely had more chances in the doubles. “I just have to accept it and play to the death for the doubles,” said Nadal. On that note, ‘Nadalcaraz’ recently also secured a spot in the QF of the doubles event with a win over Netherlands Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof. It was a hard-fought battle that has now seen them through to a step closer to their dream.
However, according to the 67-year-old American sports broadcaster and former tennis player, Mary Carillo- Murray may well stand tall in the way of Nadal’s Olympic dream. Recently during a coverage of the Games on Peacock, Carillo speculated, “Is there a chance the men’s doubles gold medal match could be Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz against Andy Murray and Dan Evans?” Well, Rafa and Murray are on the opposite side of the draw in the doubles event. So, there are no chances of their meeting before the finals, but if they meet in the finals, just imagine what would be the atmosphere of Stade Roland Garros.
Murray also recently managed to delay his retirement plans for a few more days with an epic win alongside Dan Evans over Belgium’s Sander Gille and Jordan Vilegen in the second round on Tuesday. If both pairs continue their winning streaks, a dream final between these two high-profile teams could indeed become a reality. It’s a challenging path, but given the talent and experience of these players, it’s certainly not out of the question. Would it be an incredible match to watch? Absolutely!
Before that happens, let’s reverse our gears to take a look at some of their post-match reactions and what they think about clinching a medal at this year’s Olympics.
Both Nadal and Murray have a common goal now
Just before the start of the Paris Olympics, we heard Murray saying that he would love to take a chance of playing another Olympics only if he felt he was capable of bringing a medal for his nation. Even when Nadal wasn’t sure about his participation in the singles event, he assured his fans that he wanted to “make the smartest decision possible to have the best chances to bring (a) medal back home.”
Nadal has won two gold medals at the Olympics- one in singles and the other in doubles. Whereas, Murray has won two gold medals in singles event and one silver medal in the mixed doubles event, but still their hunger to perform for their nation is just the same as any other youngster. If they win the gold medal, it would not only be a dream come true for them but also for Carlos Alcaraz and Dan Evans.
To get the chance to play with these greats on such a big occasion is an achievement in itself! Nadal said all he wants now is to enjoy these moments with Alcaraz and he’s absolutely thrilled with the recent result. On the other hand, Murray said, “It’s unbelievably emotional. I mean you’re obviously unbelievably happy and then for whatever reason, I don’t know why it happens, it’s like happy tears.
The Brit even took to social media to express his excitement after reaching the QF of the Paris Olympics. In one of the pictures he was spotted jumping in joy and he captioned that picture with, “Highest I’ve jumped since 2010.” This shows us what this event means to both of them and getting the chance to play against each other in the finals will make it even more special for both of them.
