Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will team up to play doubles at this year’s Olympic Games in Paris, the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) said on Wednesday.
Nadal won an Olympic gold medal in 2008, but the Paris Games will be Alcaraz’s first as he returns to Roland Garros where he was crowned French Open champion on Sunday.
Nadal’s participation was up in the air with the 14-times French Open champion still not at his best following injuries but the national team coach, David Ferrer, said the 38-year-old would team up with 21-year-old Alcaraz.
“One pair, which I think everyone knows and was hoping for is Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal and the second pair is yet to be decided, it hasn’t been 100% confirmed yet,” Ferrer said. “We’ll wait a bit before announcing that. But Rafa and Carlos will be playing together in Paris.”
The other players selected are Pablo Carreno Busta and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina while Marcel Granollers, who is ranked world No 2 in doubles, is also in the squad. The Paris Olympics run from 26 July until 11 August.
Meanwhile Andy Murray may opt out of challenging for a third Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games if he is not selected to play in the doubles tournament.
The three-times grand slam winner and twice Olympic champion is eligible to compete in the singles at the Games with two places reserved for players who have previously won a grand slam or Olympics tournament.
However, Murray could miss out on the doubles at Paris with Britain set to send Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski instead. “I need to see what happens with the Olympics,” he told reporters after his 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Marcos Giron at the Stuttgart Open on Tuesday.
“I’m not 100% sure what the situation is there with the doubles yet and whether or not I will play if I just get in the singles. I don’t know. My body didn’t feel great playing on the clay in the last month or so. I had quite a few issues with my back, so I don’t know if I would go just for singles.
“I need to wait a little bit and see on that,” added the 37-year-old, who lost in the first round of the French Open doubles alongside Daniel Evans.
The tennis tournament at the Olympics will take place at Roland Garros from 27 July to 4 August.