In a thrilling announcement ahead of Paris 2024, the Spanish tennis federation said that poster boy and reigning French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz will team up with his childhood hero and 22-time major winner Rafael Nadal at the upcoming quadrennial event in France.
The 38-year-old legend, Nadal, and 21-year-old sensation Alcaraz will strike fear into any opponent that they might come across.
The star power and the firepower available in the deadly pairing are enough to give rivals sleepless nights leading up to the sporting extravaganza slated to be hosted by France this July.
The announcement comes three days after Alcaraz won his maiden Roland Garros title, as he got the better of German Alexander Zverev in the championship clash of the clay court ever in the city set to host the Olympics.
It was Alcaraz’s third grand slam title after the Wimbledon and US Open titles he had claimed earlier, as he beat Nadal to become the youngest player to claim a major on all surfaces- hard court, grass and clay.
Alcaraz is widely considered as the heir to Nadal in Spanish tennis, and the youngster time and again acknowledged Nadal’s influence on his game, citing him as an inspiration growing up.
Nadal already bagged the Olympic gold medals in singles (2008) and doubles (2016 with Marc López) to accompany his sprawling trophy cabinet, which includes titles from his 22 Grand Slam events.
“Rafa and Carlos will be playing together in Paris,” said Spain captain David Ferrer while announcing the squad.
Nadal, who is in his final stretch, has been battling injuries throughout the year and has suffered some shocking losses due to his advancing age and regressing powers of recovery to heal from a vast array of injuries that have plagued the southpaw, who redefined the sport for an entire generation.
Nadal holds a superhuman 14 titles at the Roland Garros, where the Paris 2024 tennis event is slated to be held. However, his recent showing at the clay-court event, once dominated by the fearsome left-hander, shed some concerns over the legend’s advancing age as he was ousted by Zverev in the opening round encounter at Court Phillipe-Chartier a couple of weeks earlier.
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