Paris Olympics 2024: Emotional Rafael Nadal bids adieu to Olympics and Roland Garros after doubles loss

Rafael Nadal’s Olympic career ended with a loss when he and Carlos Alcaraz lost their men’s doubles quarterfinals to USA’s Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.

The Spanish duo lost 2-6, 4-6 in what could be Nadal’s last appearance at the iconic Roland Garros courts, where he dominated with 14 French Open Grand Slam titles.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion, along with Alcaraz, got maximum support from the sell out crowd at the Court Philippe Chatrier as they tried to stave off defeat in the final game.

Although Nadal has not announced his retirement from the game, his age and how he has been struggling through injuries casts a huge shadow on the longevity of his career.

He would go down as one of the decorated Olympians for Spain with a singles gold medal in the 2008 edition in Beijing and another gold medal in doubles in Rio de Janeiro.

In the singles category in Paris 2024, Nadal lost to Novak Djokovic. The duo have been involved in several breathtaking duels in the past, however, their Paris 2024 match was largely one sided with Djokovic winning 6-1, 6-4.

Nadal and Alcaraz were outplayed as Ram and Krajicek displayed a good combination of attacking and defence in their win. They were clinical at the net and their baseline play was also good.

This was the first time Nadal and Alcaraz had partnered in doubles.

After the match, Nadal took a couple of seconds to have a look at the court in which he was once the king. He waved to the spectators, thanked them for their support and, with a tinge of emotion, left the Court Philippe Chatrier.

The 38-year-old just paused before leaving the court again, near the doorway, and Alcaraz joined him and the duo left shoulder to shoulder.