Should Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal team up?: Uncle Toni thinks so

The elite of Spanish tennis aren’t having the best of times lately. Carlos Alcaraz won Wimbledon in July and hasn’t won a tournament since. Worse, he is seeing diminishing returns in the tournaments he does play in. After a losing in the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters in early October, Carlos Alcaraz took some time off to rest and get healthy ahead of the Paris Masters in late October. He was then bounced in his first match back by ATP No. 45 Roman Safiullin in straight sets.

Rafael Nadal hasn’t played since January due to a hip injury. He is currently ranked No. 244. Nadal is also 37 years old which is getting quite ancient for any high-level tennis player not named Novak Djokovic.

Nadal is reportedly hoping to come back early in 2024, possibly even the Australian Open. The issue is that playing on a hard court like the one in Melbourne might be difficult for a player trying to participate in the first tournament in a year. Maybe Nadal should wait until the clay court season gets underway as we all know how good he is on clay and that might be an easier surface to acclimate to.

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal teaming up at the Olympics would be wonderous

Rafael Nadal has already spoken about how much he loves the Olympics and how he would love to play in the 2024 Summer Olympics. There has also been some speculation that Nadal could play doubles with Carlos Alcaraz. But recently, Rafael’s well-known uncle Toni chimed in on that possibility in an interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero.

Toni Nadal said, “If Rafael is in good condition, then I think they would be a very good pair. I assume that Carlos is in good condition, so we’ll see. Let’s see if there is a possibility of winning an Olympic gold in singles or doubles.”

Rafael Nadal has won two Olympic gold medals in tennis already (2008 singles and 2016 doubles). He is passionate about playing for his country. There would also be something quite fitting about Nadal making the 2024 Olympics his final tournament as they will held in Paris which is the home of his beloved Roland Garros.

Plus, a doubles team of Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal might be the best pairing of two of the greatest singles players in the history of the sport. You might not pull for them at the Olympics simply because you might be rooting for a doubles team from your own country. Still, Carlos Alcaraz teaming up with Nadal and winning a gold medal in potentially Nadal’s final tournament would be a beautiful thing.