Nadal reacts to Alcaraz falling short versus Djokovic in the Paris Olympics final.
Rafael Nadal offered some encouraging words to Carlos Alcaraz after the 21-year-old’s painful Paris Olympics final loss to Novak Djokovic as the 22-time Grand Slam champion told Alcaraz he knew what he was going through but also highlighted that any Olympic medal is a big thing.
After dominating Djokovic in the Wimbledon final for a second consecutive year and improving to four Grand Slam titles, Alcaraz was hoping he would beat the Serb again and also become an Olympic champion. And even though Alcaraz played at a very high level throughout the final, 37-year-old Djokovic used all of his experience to find a way to be a bit better and clinch a tight 7-6 (3) 7-6 (2) win.
Moments after the final was over, world No. 3 Alcaraz burst into tears and it wasn’t hard to see how heartbroken and devastated he was over the loss.
“Carlos, although I know that today is a difficult day, value a medal that is very important for the entire country and you will see, over time, that it is for you too,” Nadal said in a message posted on his Instagram Story after the final.
Nadal, who Alcaraz once idolized and looked up to, won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and also won the main glory with Marc Lopez in the doubles competition at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Alcaraz’s candid confession after the Olympics final
Whenever Alcaraz was asked about his hopes and expectations for his Olympic debut, he wasn’t hiding that he was feeling extremely confident about his recent form and that the goal was one and clear – winning gold. And after booking a final meeting with Djokovic, the 21-year-old Spaniard made it clear that he wanted the win but that he was also determined to make the Spanish people proud.
But after falling short in the final and crying afterward, Alcaraz admitted that he was feeling major pressure in the final and that he got emotional because he felt that he let down his people in some ways.
“I think I put more pressure on myself because I was playing for Spain, for the Spaniards. I felt that I let the Spanish people down by not winning the gold,” Alcaraz said.
“It was a different type of pressure. Everyone in Spain wanted me to win the gold, and I wanted to win the gold as well. In those difficult moments I usually raise my level, but I wasn’t able to do that today. Probably I felt the pressure in those situations. You play four Grand Slams every year, the Olympics is only once every four years.”
What Alcaraz said about Djokovic’s performance?
Alcaraz may have been extremely disappointed about failing to get the job done against Djokovic but that didn’t stop him from giving where credit is due and acknowledging that the Serb deserved to become an Olympic champion. Also, the 21-year-old vowed to return stronger and give his best to land a gold medal in the future.
“It’s very painful to lose this match the way I did. I feel like I had a few chances, but you can’t let a player like Djokovic slip away. The truth is that he deserves this success, he played amazingly,” Alcaraz said.
“Right now I’m a little disappointed, above all, because I feel like I’ve let down a lot of people who expected me to win Olympic gold. I can only say that I’m leaving here with my head held high because I’ve given everything I had and I hope to win gold sometime in my career.”
Meanwhile, Djokovic couldn’t hide his happiness and he wasn’t hiding how much it meant to him and how he felt after becoming an Olympic champion.
In the last couple of years, Djokovic highlighted several times that winning a gold medal was his major wish and he made it clear earlier this year that it was his biggest goal for the remainder of his career.
And now, Djokovic is a record 24-time Grand Slam champion – has spent the most weeks at No. 1 in tennis history – and he also has an Olympic gold medal.
“This is probably the biggest sporting success I have ever had and the most special feeling. I thought carrying the flag at the opening ceremony for my country at the 2012 Olympics was the best feeling an athlete could have until today,” Djokovic said.
“Now at the age of 37 and facing a 21-year-old who is probably the best player in the world right now, winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back, I can say that this is probably the biggest sporting success I have ever had.”
