According to Rafael Nadal, winning an Olympic gold medal is the most prestigious honor for tennis players, even greater than a Grand Slam title.

“For me, the 2008 Beijing Olympics is an unforgettable memory,” Nadal said on July 25, following the draw for the Olympic tennis tournament at the Paris 2024 Games. “I think this event is bigger than the Grand Slam. At the Olympics, you not only compete for yourself but also represent your entire country. Returning to the Olympic Village with a gold medal is an incomparable feeling. The Olympics only happen once every four years.”

Nadal trained ahead of the Paris Olympics at the Roland Garros complex in Paris on July 25. Photo: Reuters.

Nadal won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the age of 22. Eight years later, he won the men’s doubles title with his close friend Marc Lopez at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Between these two Olympic Games, Nadal missed the 2012 London and 2021 Tokyo Games due to injuries.

In his third Olympic appearance, Nadal will compete in both the men’s singles and doubles events in Paris this summer. According to Spanish media, the “King of Clay” favors playing doubles alongside his younger compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. This format is considered more suitable for Nadal’s current physical condition, as doubles matches are typically quicker, played over three sets, with the third set being a tie-breaker.

“Doubles is entirely different from singles, and I don’t have much experience,” Nadal admitted. He mentioned that he has been preparing physically in recent weeks to adapt to playing with Carlos Alcaraz. “Clay courts might be slightly advantageous for us compared to hard courts.”

According to Nadal, Alcaraz is currently the best-performing player, which will be beneficial for Team Spain. Alcaraz recently won the French Open last month and followed it up with a Wimbledon victory. With Jannik Sinner withdrawing, Alcaraz will be the top seed in the men’s singles at the Paris Olympics this year.

In the men’s doubles event, the defending champions are the Croatian pair Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic. This year, they are only seeded eighth. The top-seeded pair is Lorenzo Musetti and Jannik Sinner, but this team will no longer compete after Sinner’s withdrawal. Italy still has the pair Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori as the second-favorite contenders for the title. Other seeded pairs include Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul from the USA, Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski from Great Britain, and Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni from Argentina. Notably, Gonzalez and Molteni will face Nadal and Alcaraz in the first round.

In the men’s singles event, Alcaraz will face Hady Habib from Lebanon in the first round, while Nadal will take on Marton Fucsovics from Hungary and could potentially face Novak Djokovic from Serbia in the second round. The first round of the tennis competition will commence on July 27, with matches played in a three-set format.