Nicolas Massu He was immortalized as one of the few tennis players who managed to win the Olympic Games in singles and doubles in the same edition with that impressive performance in Athens 2004. Together with Fernando González he defeated the German duo of Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schüttler to win gold, while the next day he defeated Mardy Fish and became Olympic champion for the second time in just two days.
Now the former Chilean tennis player is preparing for the event in Paris 2024, where he will play his role as captain of the national team, made up of Nicolás Jarry, Alejandro Tabilo and Tomás Barrios Vera. Due to the good form of the players, especially the first two, many expect that the feat of Nicolas Massu on Parisian lands, although Jarry warned that it is almost impossible for something like this to happen again.
During a recent press conference, Nico stressed the importance for him of competing for Chile in the Olympic Games. and have the Gladiator within the team. In fact, he maintained that we should enjoy the fact that he is present with them instead of taking it as pressure to repeat what happened in the Greek capital twenty years ago. However, he knows that the ultimate goal will be to obtain the best possible result in both singles and doubles.
“It is almost impossible for it to happen again. We are lucky to have Nico still alive and conscious to be able to help us try to get as close as possible to what he did.”
The doubles pair that Nicolás Massú will have
When the presence of Tomás Barrios Vera was confirmed with the final of the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023, it was believed that the doubles pairing was going to be resolved, since the Chilanejo is paired with Alejandro Tabilo in the Davis Cup. However, Nicolas Massu He will not be able to repeat that pairing, since the regulations of the Olympic Games prevent it.
And unlike what happens with the ITF rules, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) establishes that the doubles pair must be established according to the ATP ranking. Therefore, Chile will compete with Nicolás Jarry and Alejandro Tabilo in that modality, while in singles the three will be on their side.
