Rafael Nadal’s route to reach his final Olympic Games

Rafael Nadal’s year 2024 will see its last big stage in just over a month. With the European clay court tour over, nothing less than the Olympic Games looms on the 38-year-old tennis player’s horizon, an event in which he has already participated twice. The first time was in Beijing 2008, where she won singles gold, and then in Rio de Janeiro 2016, where she won doubles gold.

This is why Rafa is setting his sights on Paris 2024. He also knows that it may be the last time that he defends the colors of Spain in an official competition, because although he has not confirmed that he will retire at the end of the season, the option This is still very latent. The Davis Cup, which takes place in September, is still very far away in Manacorí’s vision. “It’s a utopia “, he said after the Masters 1000 in Madrid.

However, the ring date is fast approaching. The start of tennis in Paris will take place this July 27 in the facilities of Roland Garros, the place where Nadal has won 14 Grand Slam titles and where he is the absolute king. With him, they are on the men’s list Pablo Carreño Busta, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Marcel Granollers and Carlos Alcaraz.

The latter, brand new world number two and Roland-Garros champion, will be his doubles partner, in what will undoubtedly be an important step for Spanish tennis in this ring event. The best athlete in its history will share the court with his heir, who at 21 has already reached world number one and won three Grand Slam tournaments.

Rafael Nadal has already announced what his route will be for Paris 2024. With just over a month and no activity since his elimination in the first round of Roland Garros on May 27, the double Olympic medalist has made the decision to continue competing on clay. of the Games, since they will also be played on clay.

The first repercussion of this is his confirmed absence from Wimbledon, a tournament he won in 2008 and 2010.”We think the best thing for my body is to not change the surface and continue playing on clay until then. . I’m sad that I won’t be able to experience this year the great atmosphere of this incredible event which will always remain in my heart and with all the British fans who have always given me great support. I will miss you all,” he announced today on his social networks.

But not only was his absence in England confirmed today, since the Spaniard also made a surprising announcement on what his preparatory tournament for the rings event will be. Unexpectedly, he confirmed his presence in the The ATP 250 in Bastad thanks to a wild card.

“To prepare for the Olympic Games, I will play the tournament in Bastad, Sweden. A tournament that I played at the start of my career and where I had a great time on and off the field. I hope to see you all there,” he said in the same statement explaining his absence at Wimbledon.

Nadal, as he mentioned in his writings, participated in the Swedish event during the early years of his career. In In 2003 and 2004 he reached the quarter-finals, while in 2005 he won the title. after beating the Czech Tomas Berdych in the final.

“It would be good to play a tournament before the Olympics to prepare and get familiar with the field » Nadal admitted a few months ago. That of Manacor obviously spoke of Carlos Alcaraz, his pair in Paris 2024.

A desire which, even if there is still a possibility of concentration, will not be easy. The 21-year-old tennis player, who has just won Roland Garros, announced that for the moment his schedule would be to play the ATP 500 at Queen’s then Wimbledon, leaving him only two weeks free in his schedule before the Olympic Games.

Four ATP tournaments will take place during this two-week period. Between July 15 and 21 (they start one day after Wimbledon), the Gstaad and Bastad events will take place, while between July 22 and 28 those in Umag and Kitzbühel will take place.

One option is for Alcaraz to travel directly from London to Bastad and accompany Rafa as a double. The other, that Nadal adds another week of competition and appears in Umag or Kitzbühel to play with the Murcian. Both, yes, seem complicated.

In fact, Carlitos was responsible for reducing the illusion. “I don’t think we have time to prepare for the doubles with Nadal . Rafa knows how to pick up the pace in doubles. He knows what it’s like to play and win gold in both singles and doubles, we will try to adapt in the best possible way for the matches,” he admitted to Marca after winning Roland Garros.