'Nadalcaraz' already in quarterfinals in Paris | Paris 2024 Olympic Games

The thermometer almost reaches 35 degrees at six o'clock in the afternoon, the sun is shining at Roland Garros, in Paris the orange alarm goes off because of the heat wave. A fan is dancing in the stands. On the court, the gladiators. Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz beat the Dutch duo Grieksspoor and Koolhof with 6-4, 7-6(2) and 10-2 in the super draw and advance to the quarterfinals, where Americans Krajicek and Ram await them on Wednesday (7 p.m.). Add the new Spanish duo and continue the increasingly compact.

Alcaraz is a different person compared to the rookie who He made his doubles debut with Nadal in the first round, a nervous boy who sent the balls out or into the net. This time he connects his rights firmly, without hiding his arm, a cannon shot in search of the lines. Thus he defends that first service that can cause some doubt, and it is a wall when the Dutch look for him, perhaps thinking that a crack could appear there. The Murcian takes over the leading voice, the initiative of the points. The Spaniards rely on Griekspoor, the least specialist in this area, and in a few first test games get some options, although not converted, from the rest.

The Spanish pair takes small bites and gets closer to the prey, until they break the service in the seventh stop of the first set, with a forehand cross from Alcaraz that makes the court tremble. Nadal will have trouble keeping serving next season, because the Dutch are also becoming sharper in exchanging blows, they are aggressive in their tennis and the Spanish duo snorts when they get over the hump. Little by little, the two Spaniards, the myth and the heir, find some automatisms in their game, where they cross one in front of the other, make a climb to the net… During the celebrations, they are like two clones, their fists clenched, teeth clenched: “let's go!” that rises from the arena to the seats, with Zidane in the stands. Alcaraz opened the set with service and Alcaraz closed it in the same way: 6-4.

Nadal then asks for a break to go to the locker room. Any delay is good for those who have spent so many kilometers and so many hours on their feet in recent weeks, also injured on the right thigh which looks bandaged. The Balearic player goes from less to more, from those first trials under Alcaraz’s protection, a burst of energy, to sharing the role of protagonist. The Dutch couple hangs mainly on Koolhof, more accustomed to these two-on-two dates than his colleague. With the men in red, Nadal feels comfortable at the net, a position that requires less wear and tear. The combination is powerful. Carlitos Alcaraz sweeps the baseline, a roadrunner who never tires, it seems, no matter how hard he is hit, and Nadal moves loosely next to the tape, ready for the dunk, covered in sand as he rolls across the floor.

Both teams held the serve late in the second set, strong in the serve, but without much spirit in the rest. Until Alcaraz has a bad time on the serve, the Spaniards struggled with a few misunderstandings. It becomes 4-4 and the next step is Griekspoor who comes out after 15-40, and later Koolhof who puffs when he has a hard time to maintain the lead at the beginning of the matches. The set ends in the tie-break and there the Dutch are a rock and win easily, but you have to kill Nadal and Alcaraz twice, who are no longer willing to accept more gifts and burn in the super tie-break, 10-2, after 2h 21m.

Nadalcaraz baptized the youngest member of the team (21 years old compared to the maestro's 38) with this invention, which until stepping onto the clay of Ronald Garros had never played an official match together, and they had not even coincided in the same Davis call. The device is already taking shape in the third round of the draw and is now also a favorite with Nadal's elimination in the singles. The warrior needs rest. The Spaniard rowed as far as he could, a last dance in Paris with Novak Djokovic, who knew no mercy or a trace of romance and swept him away in a duel that was only redeemed at the end by the champion of 22 majors, 14 of them in Paris.

In the third step of the table, Alcaraz will take part in the fight against Roman Safiullin, a Russian who participates in the AIN team, Neutral Individual Athletes, this Wednesday at around 2:00 p.m.

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