Spain’s dream team of Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz get off to shaky start at men’s Paris Olympics doubles but overcome Argentina’s Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in opening game
- Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz beat Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molten 7-6 6-4
- There were moments, however, when the Parisian audience inhaled and exhaled
It is sold as the dream team: Rafa Nadal, hero of Roland Garros and Carlos Alcaraz, his heir, in the red of Spain. What could possibly go wrong?
There were moments in their opening match against Argentina’s sixth seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni that took the breath away from the Paris crowd en route to a 7-6, 6-4 victory.
At times, the Wimbledon crowd might have worried about Roger Federer’s well-being. Such signs of concern underline how much they love Nadal for his 14 French Open victories, a record that only a very strong body could ever surpass.
What stirred the nerves was the knowledge that his constitution is no longer what it used to be. A tear in the abdomen and a problem with the hip flexors have plagued Nadal in recent years.
And this week, a thigh injury forced him out of training but not from the opening ceremony frenzy. When France threatened to adopt him as one of their own, Zinedine Zidane handed him the Olympic flame.
Rafa Nadal (right) and Carlos Alcaraz (left) defeated Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molten 7-6 6-4 on Saturday
Nadal may not have as many miles in his legs as he used to, but his skills haven’t diminished
He wore strapping on his right leg last night. And to put it simply, if Nadal and Alcaraz, the 21-year-old reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion, hadn’t triumphed last night, we might never have seen the great man on court again.
Yes, he will participate in the singles match against Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, but he may not be fit enough for that (or he may end up in a second round tie with Novak Djokovic).
In the end, the Spaniards won in straight sets without being completely in harmony. Alcaraz was, if anyone, the most hesitant. Nadal may not have the miles in his legs that he once had, but there was no sign of a diminution in his skills.
Their Argentinian opponents won the first set on a tiebreak, but the Spaniards held on to win 7-4
In the end, the Spanish doubles won in straight sets without operating completely in harmony
It went to a tiebreak in the first set, decided by the old and new combination 7-4, a Nadal backhand winner down the line deciding it. Then, a wobble, losing the first three games of the second set. Finally, control and growing certainty that they would triumph.
The crowd celebrated Court Philippe Chatrier almost completely wildly. Nadal hit them a few balls. It was the result they all wanted, and Alcaraz was just a byproduct of that hope.