Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz’s dreams of an Olympic medal in the men’s doubles were ended by a quarter-final loss to the American fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
The Spanish duo have been one of the star attractions of the tennis event at Roland Garros and another packed crowd cheered them on under the roof on Court Philippe-Chatrier. But they met their match as Krajicek and Ram, two of the best doubles players in the game, showed their prowess to claim a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Nadal has been tight-lipped about his future but this could be the 14-time French Open champion’s farewell to Paris. Afterwards he revealed he is unlikely to play the US Open, dropping the strongest hint yet that his career could soon be at an end.
Asked whether he would head to the United States, where events building up to the US Open are already under way, the 38-year-old said: “It looks like not but I’m going to let you know soon. For me now, I can’t give you a clear answer, I need some time. But for me it looks difficult.”
Answering a question about his relationship with Alcaraz, Nadal cast even more doubt on his future. “If my age will be 10 years less, we’re going to create a beautiful relationship on court and we’re going to share a lot of beautiful moments together,” he said.
“But that’s not going to happen. We’ll see if I keep playing the normal tour. But of course I will be supporting him from home and wishing him all the very best every single time. Even if I keep playing or not, I love tennis.”
Nadal has signed up for the Laver Cup in Berlin in September and, two years after Roger Federer bade farewell at the Ryder Cup-style event, there is a possibility his great rival may follow suit.
“It was disappointing to not bring back a medal for Spain but that’s it,” said Nadal. “I tried my best in every single minute that I was on court, but it was not enough to achieve our goals. If that’s the last time, it’s an unforgettable feeling and emotions.”
Alcaraz had earlier stayed on course for a gold-medal clash with Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles after both reached the quarter-finals.
Djokovic faced Germany’s Dominik Koepfer and defied the hot and humid conditions to claim a 7-5, 6-3 victory. He is the first player in the modern era to reach the quarter-finals in singles at four different Olympics but he is yet to make a final and has only one bronze medal.
“Bringing a medal to Serbia is always a big goal of mine; has been since my first Olympic Games in Beijing, where I managed to get my only medal so far,” said Djokovic. “I had actually some really good Olympic Games but that semi-final hurdle was, three out of four times, tough for me to go through.”
Alcaraz, meanwhile, became the youngest man since Djokovic in 2008 to reach the last eight, beating Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-2.
Djokovic next faces eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas while Alcaraz will play American Tommy Paul in a rematch of their Wimbledon quarter-final. Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, meanwhile, conjured up a repeat of his SW19 upset by knocking out the seventh seed, Taylor Fritz, 6-4, 7-5.
Andy Murray may be clinging on but it was the end of the road for another retiring three-time grand slam title winner, with Angelique Kerber enduring a heartbreaking 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (6) defeat by China’s Zheng Qinwen in the women’s quarter-finals.
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Kerber’s run to the last eight in Paris was her best result this year. The 36-year-old had already announced she would retire following the Olympics, having returned from maternity leave in January.
“I’ve achieved everything I dreamed of,” Kerber said. “I was No 1, won grand slams, won a silver medal in Rio, so what more could you want in the end? I’m proud of everything I’ve achieved in my career, of what I’ve achieved here, what I did on the court.”
Zheng is now guaranteed a shot at a medal, as is Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, the most surprising success story here. The 29-year-old is ranked 67 but followed her upset of the Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini by taking out the SW19 champion Barbora Krejcikova, 6-4, 6-2.
The Slovakian’s run is causing quite a stir back home and she said: “I still can’t believe that I’m in the semi-finals and the top four players in the world. The best game of my life is for the Olympics and for my country and for people around me, so it’s a big deal. It’s amazing.”
The top seeds Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula were knocked out of the doubles in the second round, the Americans losing 2-6, 6-4, 10-5 against the Czechs Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova, but there was better news for Britain’s Katie Boulter and Heather Watson.
The Team GB pair were impressive 6-3, 6-4 winners against the No 6 seeds, Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia and Luisa Stefani, and will face Italy’s No 3 seeds, Paolini and Sara Errani in the quarter-finals.
