The Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland-Garros was sold out, the press tribune packed. A loud cheer erupted from the crowd as the two Spanish tennis superstars Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal entered the court.
For his entire life, the now 21-year-old Alcaraz had admired the 17 years older Nadal, and here, in the Olympic doubles, he had the honor of accompanying his idol in his final competitive matches.
In the first minutes, the tension was almost palpable. Alcaraz misjudged several shots and sent the ball out, losing the first game to the Argentine opponents Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, who entered the tournament as the number 6 seed.
The class of the two Spaniards was clearly visible, but the Argentinians were visibly the more seasoned duo. Fans rallied behind Nadal and Alcaraz with cheers during every break, celebrating every movement, every point earned – “Bravo Rafa!” and “Vamos Carlito!” With every mistake, particularly from Nadal, a gasp would go through the crowd.
As the match progressed, the two singles stars had their hands full against the well-coordinated doubles team. In the end, they won in two hard-fought sets with scores of 7:6 and 6:4.
Marked by Cancellations
Overall, the start of the tennis competitions at Roland Garros on Saturday was marked by rain. From 12 PM, play could only occur on the two covered courts. Also affected by the delays to Sunday were Julia Grabher (against Emma Navarro) and Sebastian Ofner (against Robin Haase).
The top-seeded Novak Djokovic had no problems with Matthew Ebden, allowing the Australian only one game in a 6:0, 6:1 victory. The next opponent could be Beijing Olympic champion Rafael Nadal, provided the Spaniard gets past Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics. The second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz started the tournament with a 6:3, 6:1 victory against Lebanon’s Hady Habib.