A dream team in the making, the Spanish duo of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz became the talk of the town ever since they announced their partnership for the Paris Olympic Games. Despite several injury concerns, the two gave their best in doubles, before going down against a seasoned pair of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek, who are both ranked in the top 20 of the ATP doubles rankings. Not only was there hype among the fans but also tennis pundits about watching the two in action together.

Earlier this week, Andy Roddick talked at length about the pair of ‘Rafaraz’ making waves in the doubles circuit. However, his praise for the Spanish duo went in vain as the American veterans, Ram and Krajicek, overpowered them in the quarterfinals.

During his ‘Served’ podcast, Roddick mentioned, “Rafaraz might be the story going into the Olympics because I don’t know when they will have the excuse to enter doubles with consequence for them. They can enter Barcelona, win, lose, but there’s no consequence. Nobody remembers them looking back at their careers because their careers have been so outsized.”

Further, the men’s doubles event was a realistic chance for Nadal to taste one last glory before hanging his boots. Earlier, he bowed out of the singles competition in Paris after losing against Novak Djokovic in straight sets. However, his doubles campaign ended similarly, as he and Alcaraz lost in straight sets against the American duo. Following his defeat, Nadal was saddened by the fact that he lost a golden opportunity to achieve success before his retirement.

Rafael Nadal makes a heartbreaking confession after doubles failure

Time and again, Nadal has admitted that the 2024 season will be the last one of his illustrious tennis career. Ahead of the Olympics, he reached the finals in Bastad but lost against Nuno Borges. As a result, he hoped to clinch the top prize in Paris along with Alcaraz by his side.

When Nadal’s Olympics dreams ended with a straight-set loss, he was heartbroken and made a grim admission. He revealed, Well, in the end, a sad day because in the end, it was, I think that the most important goal I had left of the year, to be honest. I didn’t want to end without a special moment and it hasn’t been possible, has it?”

While Nadal’s journey at the Paris Olympics ended, Alcaraz is still going strong in singles. The Spanish sensation is into the semifinals of the tournament and is just a step away from confirming a medal for his country. He is the reigning French Open champion, the same venue as that for the Paris Olympics. As a result, Alcaraz will hope for no less than a gold medal when he steps onto the court in his last 4 clash, where he’ll face the winner of the match between Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime.