The Spanish tennis players Rafa Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Alejandro Davidovich, Pablo Carreño and Marcel Granollers in the men’s category and the tennis players Sara Sorribes and Cristina Bucsa in the women’s category are chosen by the national selectors, David Ferrer and Anabel Medina, to be part of the provisional list for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. From the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899, as part of the celebration of its 125th anniversary, both coaches offered the list of Spanish tennis players pre-classified for this summer’s Olympic event, once the official ATP and WTA rankings that give access to the Olympic Games are known. If there are no last-minute setbacks in the form of injury, Rafa Nadal will compete in his fourth Olympic Games in Paris 2024. The Manacorí, currently number 264 in the ATP ranking but with a protected ranking of number 9 (before long-term injuries), debuted in Athens 2004, when he partnered with Carlos Moyá (his current coach) and they fell in first place. round. In Beijing 2008 he touched Olympic glory, since he won the individual team and won the gold medal by beating the Chilean Fernando González (6-3, 7-6 and 6-3), becoming the first Spaniard to win Olympic gold in individual. He could not attend London 2012 due to his physical condition, but he did attend Rio 2016. In singles he lost in the semifinals against the Argentine Juan Martín del Potro and lost the bronze against the Japanese Kei Nishikori, but it was in doubles, together with the Catalan Marc López, with whom he achieved his second Olympic gold, beating the Romanians Horia Tecau and Florin Mergea 6-2, 3-6 and 6-4. He could not play in Tokyo 2020 due to injury, but he does arrive at Paris 2024, more and more active and in a year that may or may not be his last active year. But the dream of living a fourth Games, competing in singles and doubles, will be a reality for Nadal, 38 years old and with 22 Grand Slams under his belt. As for Carlos Alcaraz, he may be the great Spanish asset in the individual box. The 21-year-old from Murcia has just won Roland Garros and added his third Grand Slam, after the 2022 US Open and Wimbledon 2023. The current world number 2, behind the Italian Jannik Sinner, is the great favorite to repeat success on the courts of Roland Garros, Paris 2024 Olympic venue. It will be the Olympic debut of Carlos Alcaraz, who commented that he preferred winning gold in Paris 2024 to winning Roland Garros. At the moment, he has already won the French Grand Slam and will want to touch the sky again this summer. With his injury behind him, he will undoubtedly be the rival to beat for the rest of the tennis players, including Nadal and the rest of the Spaniards. Alejandro Davidovich, current number 32 in the world, and Pablo Carreño, out of the rankings due to a long injury but now recovered, complete the individual table. Carreño is also the last Spanish Olympic medalist with his individual bronze medal in Tokyo 2020. THE NADAL-ALCARAZ LUXURY DOUBLE IS CONFIRMED Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, signed up with Alejandro Davidovich and Pablo Carreño in the individual category, will also play together the doubles tournament, a desire that both tennis players had recently expressed and asked the captain, David Ferrer, who also had in mind to bring them together. On the other hand, Marcel Granollers, current world number 1 in doubles, will also play the doubles draw with a partner yet to be determined, although he could play alongside Carreño or Davidovich. And, as for the mixed doubles, it cannot yet be announced despite the fact that David Ferrer and Anabel Medina are already studying the different possibilities. “I’m not the one to say how many medals we are going to win or not, but the truth is that we can get medals. We have a team to achieve results. I can’t complain about the team I have. I hope they have good results,” acknowledged the captain of the team. Spanish men’s team, David Ferrer. SORRIBES AND BUCSA, THE SPANISH WOMEN’S TEAM In the women’s team, Sara Sorribes and Cristina Bucsa, the numbers 56 and 65 in the WTA ranking at the moment, will play the individual team and will also be a couple in the doubles team, the latter being their great asset after achieving victory at this year’s Mutua Madrid Open. “I am very excited about the doubles, because winning a Master 1000 is being among the best. It makes us hope to win a medal in doubles,” said the captain of the Spanish women’s team, Anabel Medina. The big absence is that of the tennis player Paula Badosa, who made the decision not to go to Paris so as not to spend one of the two ‘protected rankings’ that remain for 2024, and focus on her return to the elite and improve her world ranking , since right now she is number 118 in the world and, due to ranking, she cannot directly access Paris 2024. “Paula Badosa’s non-presence is because she does not enter due to her personal ranking, she is outside the top 100. She should use her protected ranking, which would allow her access, but she has two protected rankings left for the rest of the year and in addition, the Games do not distribute points. It was difficult for her to decide whether to play or not. But, because she was behind in the ranking and because. to be focused on recovering her best level, she has made this decision that makes us very sad, as well as her, but it will not be possible,” Medina explained in this regard. “They will be my sixth Games, four as a player and two as captain, and I think the ones in Paris will be special, especially because of the fact of playing at Roland Garros, where Spain has always had good results. As a nation, it will make us have a lot of fear and a lot of respect, because Spain has always done really well,” Medina acknowledged. INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT The event was attended by, in addition to the captains and the tennis player Pablo Carreño, the president of the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET), Miguel Díaz Román, and the president of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes. “We are very excited about our teams. We enjoy great health, with a base like never before, with great effort and investment. Right now, Spanish tennis is the envy of the world because of our players, for having had or have references like Nadal or ‘Carlitos’ (Alcaraz),” said Díaz Román. “The Games are a challenge, on a surface that benefits us. Carlos has just won Roland Garros and Rafa is the king of Paris. He had bad luck this year against Zverev. But in this month or so that remains, if he has no problems, Rafa will be a great candidate. And we have a number 1 in doubles, with Marcel Granollers. We are optimistic that a great result can be achieved in Paris, we could have up to 2 or 3 medals. On paper we can achieve it,” he added. For his part, Uribes assured that tennis “gives off a special magic.” “Spanish tennis makes us suffer, sometimes, but it gives us immense joy. In sport, as in life, we have to fight until the end. With discipline and talent we can achieve whatever we want. Paris will not be a bed of roses , but this Olympic team is going to do its best to continue that trail of triumphs that tennis has brought us so much happiness throughout history. I hope to see each other in the Olympic finals, to talk about Spain, Spanish tennis, and. let the anthem play in the stadium,” he said.
