Rafael Nadal didn’t want to overanalyze his performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, admitting that he simply wasn’t good enough in single, while in doubles, they played a bad match.

The 38-year-old had high hopes for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris because the Spaniard was encouraged by the way he practiced and the way he played at the Bastad Open ahead of the tournament.

Nobody thought he could seriously challenge for a medal in singles because Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic seemed better than him. Some had hoped that he could be competitive in the doubles with Alcaraz, and after they played a strong opening match, those aspirations certainly grew.

In singles, the 22-time major winner started really well but then experienced some minor issues against Marton Fucsovics, which made it clear that he likely wouldn’t be able to beat Novak Djokovic in the second round.

The draw was unfortunate because, with a few more matches in Paris, he might have been able to sneak his way to a medal. Getting Djokovic in the second round was brutal, and the match showed that he clearly wasn’t on that top level.

The doubles exit came against a good pairing of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek, who simply played better than them. After the match, Nadal didn’t really want to overanalyze what went wrong for him at the Olympics.

He was quite open about not being good enough in singles, and his doubles performance, at least the quarter-final match, was also not very good, which he also recognized.

“I haven’t been at the level I needed to fight for medals in the singles. In the doubles, we were playing at a very good level, but today we weren’t accurate.”

“As I’ve said every day, the matches go by very quickly and every little detail has its impact. Today we didn’t start well and we weren’t able to take the match to the limit.”

Overall, Nadal’s experience at the Olympics wasn’t the worst, but also not the best. He never thought he would play at the 2024 Olympics many years ago, so being there for him was a blessing. He did well, all things considered, and he cherished the experience of playing with Alcaraz.

“The experience has been positive, we generated everything we had to generate to give ourselves a chance, we had a fantastic relationship, we shared a lot off the court and on it we were happy, motivated, excited.”

“It couldn’t be, there’s no more to it, today we weren’t accurate. For me, there’s no need to analyse much more, we weren’t good enough. The only thing I have to analyse now is when I have the flight back home (laughs), but I’m taking away an experience and memories for life.”

Of course, this was Nadal’s final Olympic appearance, and the fact that it was in Paris is certainly a fitting end for a player who left a great legacy at the Games and at Roland Garros.

“If my age will be 10 years less,” Rafael Nadal rues not being younger as he craves more partnerships with Carlos Alcaraz

Nadal was extremely disappointed about his doubles quarterfinals loss.

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal (Image via Imago)

Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal partnered with youngster Carlos Alcaraz to play in the men’s doubles event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The partnership proved to be fruitful as the Spanish duo reached the quarterfinals. However, the Nadal-Alcaraz pair’s journey came to an end as they lost to the American duo of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram in the quarterfinal on Wednesday.

This defeat means that the two Spanish tennis stars will not share the court anymore and everyone- the players and the fans seem utterly disappointed about it. Nadal, in particular, is ruing not being younger as he missed out on the chance to partner with Alcaraz for more tournaments.

As Nadal is on the verge of retirement while Alcaraz is in the initial stage of his career, the chances of another partnership between the two Spaniards look bleak and Nadal is too disappointed about it. The 38-year-old wishes that, had he been 10 years younger, he would have had more opportunities to play alongside his junior.

However, the 22-time Grand Slam champion assured that he will be around for Alcaraz whenever the 20-year-old needs him.

Rafael Nadal drops retirement hints after bowing out of 2024 Paris Olympics

Rafael Nadal was dejected after bowing out of the 2024 Paris Olympics as he missed out on the opportunity to add a third Olympic medal to his trophy cabinet. While the Spaniard was knocked out from the singles event in the second round, following a defeat to rival Novak Djokovic, Nadal had his hopes pinned on the doubles event.

The Spanish pair was looking good till the second round. However, Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz could not stand their ground against a much tougher opponent in the quarterfinals and were knocked out. This meant that Nadal’s hopes of winning another Olympic medal were crashed and he was disappointed. He also dropped retirement hints.

However, Nadal has no plans of immediate retirement and is expected to play a few more tournaments. The 14-time French Open champion will feature for Team Europe at the 2024 Laver Cup.

Just simply, we are in a completely different lifetime momentum. That's the truth… If my age will be 10 years less, we're going to create a beautiful relationship on tour and we're going to share a lot of beautiful moments together but that's not going to happen.

Rafael Nadal said about his partnership with Carlos Alcaraz.

It was disappointing to not bring back a medal for Spain but that’s it. I tried my best in every single minute that I was on court, but it was not enough to achieve our goals. If that’s the last time, it’s an unforgettable feeling and emotions.

Rafael Nadal said in the post match press conference. (H/T: The Guardian)

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Source: CNN