Olympic Men’s Tennis Future
Credit: Quepasamedia.com
Alcaraz/Nadal Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Winner (+380)
As a pair there is no data to back this pick because these guys have never played doubles together (don’t think Alcaraz has ever played competitive doubles) but as singles there is a ton.
Starting with the excitement factor there is no way I could have not taken this pair to win outright. Nadal is the greatest clay court player of all time and Alcaraz is the best player in the world at the moment in my eyes (ranked #3 in the ATP).
Now we get into the numbers and the real reason why this pair has an actual chance to win this thing. As discussed above Nadal is the clay court GOAT and especially the Roland Garros GOAT. The court the Olympics is being played on the same court the French Open is played on, and Nadal has dominated this tournament throughout his career. Nadal is a 14-time champion and has a record of 112-4 lifetime on this clay court. Very few people have been able to beat him at Roland Garros. I don’t know the true physics behind it but Nadal’s style of play and the way he spins the ball is so much more leathal on clay than any other surface (hard or grass).
Next, we will get into Alcaraz. I will mention a ton of the same points as I did when I discussed why I think he will win the men’s single gold. Alcaraz is coming off a French Open victory of his own back in June where he beat the #9, #2 and #4 players in the world in route to his 1st French Open victory. He is also coming off a Wimbledon title just two weeks ago where he just about dominated every opponent he faced. He has the most momentum in the tennis world at the moment and like I said before I think he is the best player in the world. Between his serve, forehand power, return game, net play, speed and sheer athleticism this kid can do it all.
The combination of the greatest clay court player of all time and one of the best tennis players in the world playing on a doubles team together just excites the hell out of me. Something I do want to mention though is Nadal is still recovering from an injury (lost in the first round of the 2024 French Open), is getting up there in age (38) and these guys aren’t doubles players, they’re singles players. They may be world class singles players but doubles is a whole different ball game, and they will be going against actual doubles opponents. Just something worth noting, they are still my pick to win but didn’t want the clay domination of both players to cloud everyone’s heads. VAMOS!
