The 4 Spanish men to reach Olympic singles final – as Carlos Alcaraz emulates Rafael Nadal
Carlos Alcaraz’s Paris 2024 semi-final victory could not have been more imperious or emphatic.
The Spaniard dropped just two games against 13th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, dispatching the Canadian 6-1, 6-1 to ensure himself a medal.
Alcaraz undoubtedly has eyes on gold but has already made plenty of history – and has continued a strong run of Spanish Olympic success.
The 21-year-old is now the fourth Spaniard to reach the men’s singles final at the Olympic Games.
Jordi Arrese – Barcelona 1992
One of the most surprising Olympic finalists of the modern era, Arrese wowed his home fans 32 years ago with an epic run to the final in Barcelona.
Seeded 16th in the draw, little was expected of the 27-year-old, but he beat the likes of Renzo Furlan and Leonardo Lavalle to reach the last four on home clay.
And, in a surprise semi-final, he battled past Andrei Cherkasov in four sets to guarantee himself a medal.
Arrese was incredibly close to claiming the title but fell 8-6 in the fifth set to Switzerland’s Marc Rosset, and had to settle for silver.
Sergi Bruguera – Atlanta 1996
Former world No 3 Bruguera is best remembered for winning consecutive French Open titles in 1993 and 1994, though can also claim to be an Olympic medallist after his Atlanta exploits.
The Spanish star was unseeded but defeated seventh seed Arnaud Boetsch, Greg Rusedski, and fourth seed MaliVai Washington to reach the last four.
Bruguera then halted the surprise run of Brazil’s Fernando Meligini to progress into the final, where he was beaten in straight sets by the legendary Andre Agassi.
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Rafael Nadal – Beijing 2008
Nadal became Spain’s first tennis gold medallist thanks to his epic run at the Beijing Games 16 years ago.
Coming in as the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, 22-year-old Nadal stormed through the opening stages of the tournament – dropping just one set on his way to the last four.
There, he came up against long-term rival Novak Djokovic, though battled his way into the final after prevailing in three sets.
Against Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez in the final, the former world No 1 stormed to gold with a straight-sets victory.
Carlos Alcaraz – Paris 2024
Over a decade and a half on, Alcaraz now has the chance to emulate his idol – and the man he played doubles with in Paris this fortnight.
Alcaraz has largely been in cruise control, hardly breaking a sweat on his way to the final.
Opening wins over Hady Habib and Tallon Griekspoor got his campaign off to a solid start, and he breezed past Roma Safiullin in round three to reach the last eight.
A quarter-final against Tommy Paul has been his toughest test so far, though he downed the American in straight sets – saving a set point in a second-set tiebreak.
He then delivered an emphatic display against Auger-Aliassime in the final, and will go for gold on Sunday.
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