 "Carlos Alcaraz (L) and Rafael Nadal (R) celebrate during their doubles match at Roland Garros during the Paris Olympics. AP")
Rafael Nadal returned to his favourite stomping ground with young sidekick Carlos Alcaraz as Spain’s new dream team took their first stride on the road to Olympic gold on Saturday.
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The 38-year-old king of Roland Garros and the new 21-year-old prince of men’s tennis, were roared on by a packed Court Philippe Chatrier crowd during a 7-6(4) 6-4 defeat of sixth-seeded Argentine pair Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.
Alcaraz had played earlier, beating Lebanon’s Hady Habib 6-3 6-1 in the singles on a rain-hit opening day of Olympics tennis in which only a handful of matches were completed.
Men’s top seed Novak Djokovic thrashed Australian alternate Matthew Ebden 6-0 6-1 after women’s favourite Iga Swiatek of Poland launched her bid for gold with a scrappy 6-2 7-5 win against Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu.
But the day’s headline act was always going to be the opening chapter of the ‘Nadalcaraz’ story which will surely etch itself into the Parisian red clay over the coming days.
It was the first time 14-times French Open champion Nadal and Alcaraz, winner of four Grand Slams including this year’s French Open and Wimbledon, had played together in competition.
There were some misfires and Alcaraz admitted he was nervous playing with his idol, but they gelled quickly enough to subdue the skilful south American duo in front of Nadal’s son Rafa Jr and the two daughters of Spain’s King Felipe.
“An unforgettable moment for me, without a doubt,” Nadal told reporters. “I think for him too, to come out here on this stage and play together representing Spain in the Olympic Games is a combination that is difficult to beat.”
Nadal’s preparation was unusual in the extreme, the Spaniard having spent Friday night carrying the Olympic torch in a boat on a choppy River Seine in the rain at the opening ceremony.
There were also injury concerns ahead of what is likely to be his last dance at Roland Garros, but Nadal rolled back the years on the rectangle of red dirt he first conquered when Alcaraz was a two-year-old.
‘SMARTEST DECISION’
Nadal is due to play Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in a Sunday schedule featuring a whopping 68 matches, although the Spaniard, who won singles gold in 2008 and the doubles in 2016, said he would have to speak with his team.
“I’ll talk with my people and then make the smartest decision possible to have the best chances to bring some medals back home,” Nadal, who has toyed with ending his glittering career this season because of injuries, said.