Alcaraz is ready to participate in his first Olympics of his young career
Carlos Alcaraz is ready to participate in his first Olympics of his young career. The young Spaniard has just won the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships, He reached four slams at just 21 and became the youngest ever to achieve this pairing in the same year.
The former world number 1 is considered by bookmakers as the main favourite to win the gold medal on the red clay of Paris, Especially after the shocking failure of Jannik Sinner due to his tonsillitis. Carlitos will play the single and double along with 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, He’s been training this morning and looks ready to play despite a disturbance in his right thigh.
Alcaraz will be able to play on his favorite surface, although the Spanish has already shown to be a very complete and versatile player. The 21-year-old from Murcia has won Grand Slam titles on all surfaces and never hid his desire to become one of the best ever. After suffering some injuries in the first months of the season, Carlos has found his best form and established himself as the new king of men’s tennis (despite being currently the number 3 ATP behind Sinner and Djokovic).
Carlitos’ announcement
On Saturday, Carlos Alcaraz will play the singles against Habib and doubles alongside Rafa Nadal against the dangerous Gonzalez/Molteni. For this reason, the young Spaniard has announced that he will not be present at the opening ceremony tonight. Alcaraz also revealed why he is staying in the village and not a hotel: “I want to be around my people, feel the passion and the energy. Yes, staying in a hotel would be more peaceful, but the selfies, memories and hugs from all the mothers I get here are forever.”
Despite being his first Olympics, Carlitos has high expectations: “He’s also doing his thing, we’re doing ours. We talk very little, but when we’re at the Games, we’ll talk about doubles and, above all, how we’re going to do it. I’m not nervous right now. When the time comes, I will be. And yes, obviously, he’s already experienced this, he already knows what it’s like to play in the Olympics, to win a gold in both singles and doubles. I’m new, I’m the rookie here, so I have to keep my mouth shut and just listen to him.
I am going to go for the title, I am going to go just thinking that I will able to win it, that’s my goal to bring a medal to my country, hopefully the gold medal. And obviously, the doubles with Rafa is going to be a really dream moment for me. Obviously, we will try to bring home the gold medal again.”
Alcaraz will play two matches on Saturday
Alcaraz and Nadal will have to play a great game of tennis if they want to beat Gonzalez and Molteni in the first round. The 22-time Grand Slam champion is happy to play with his young compatriot: “I haven’t been on the tour much lately. I’ve spent time with Carlos, and we’ve had a great bond from the start. I know the girls a bit less. Being with someone like Carlos rejuvenates you and reminds you of the energy you had when you were twenty and discovering everything, and everything was special. It’s nice for me to see how Carlos experiences his first Olympics and how he is one of the main attractions in the Village.
At the Olympics, it’s never just about you. You represent your country, you feel part of the whole Spanish team. You feel supported and loved, and the feeling of returning to the Village with a medal was amazing, unmatched. Rio was a chance to win with one of my best friends, Marc López. Plus, I was almost not going to play, barely making it at the last minute. They’ve always been unique experiences, and I hope this will be a long stay.”
Fans hoped that Carlitos could face his big rival Jannik Sinner at the Paris Olympics. The two young champions played amazing matches against each other and met in the semi-final of the French Open last month (with the Spaniard winning in five sets). On that occasion, the Spaniard had taken advantage of the physical decline of the Italian in the second part of the match. Tennis experts thought there would be a rematch at the Wimbledon Championships, but Jannik was surprisingly eliminated by Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.
Without Sinner, the main opponent for Alcaraz should be Novak Djokovic. The Serbian is not at the best moment of his career, but the Olympics are his main goal this year.
Leave a Reply