Carlos Alcaraz edges closer to emulating Rafael Nadal’s 2008 feat, but makes worrying confession ahead of medal matches

Shahida Jacobs 01 Aug 2024 4:42 PM

Carlos Alcaraz reacts during his tennis match

Carlos Alcaraz remains on course to emulate Rafael Nadal’s incredible 2008 achievements as he is now just two wins away from winning gold at the Paris Games.

Having already won the French Open and Wimbledon this year, Alcaraz now finds himself in the semi-final of the Olympics after beating Tommy Paul in straight sets at Roland Garros.

If he does go on to win gold in the singles at the Olympics, then he will follow in his hero Rafael Nadal’s footsteps as the 22-time Grand Slam winner won the French Open, Wimbledon and the men’s singles event at the Beijing Games in 2008.

And in case Alcaraz was looking for more omens, then he need to look no further than the Spanish football team as they won the 2008 European Championships and also won the Euros in Germany earlier this year.

Alcaraz didn’t have it all his own way against Paul as the American was a break up in the second set yet he found a way to pull things back before winning 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).

Aged 21 years and 83 days, Alcaraz is the fourth youngest man to reach the last four of the Olympics since the sport returned to the programme in 1988 with Roger Federer the youngest as he was 19 years and 41 days at Sydney in 2000. Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, was 21 years and 81 days when he made it to the semi-final in Beijing.

The four-time Grand Slam winner will face either sixth seed Casper Ruud or 13th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime for a place in the gold medal match.

However, there have been some concerns over his fitness as after his win over Safiullin in the third round he admitted he struggled with a leg injury while against Paul he revealed there were moments when tiredness crept in.

“We are in the Olympics playing for Spain, which for me is one of the greatest things in the world. That’s what pulls you up,” the world No 3 said.

“It makes me not think about tiredness, but rather give everything I have.”

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The 21-year-old has had a busy programme at the Paris Games as he also teamed up with Nadal in the men’s doubles with the pair losing in the third round on Wednesday.

Before that he played in the final at Wimbledon, defeating Novak Djokovic in three sets, while he beat Alexander Zverev in the final at Roland Garros.

He added: “In the second set I began to notice the fatigue, but I remember that I am not playing for myself alone, but for all the Spaniards and that is what encourages me, it pushes me up, until I fight for the last ball.”