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For what could be his last appearance at Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal left the Paris Olympics without a medal after he and his Spanish teammate Carlos Alcaraz were eliminated from the quarterfinals of the doubles tournament by Americans Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.
Nadal has won 14 titles at Roland Garros, but he and Alcaraz fell to Ram and Krajicek in straight sets (6-4, 6-4).
“Honestly, it’s teamwork,” Ram told Kendall Baker of Yahoo Sports after the game. “We talk a lot about helping and supporting each other – not necessarily tennis. We all know how to play the game. When you’re on the court, it’s more about whether you and your partner are in the right place. mindset ?
“There are certain shots that help in doubles – serving, net play, that sort of thing – that we work on a lot. But a lot of it is teamwork, which I think is cool .”
Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, is on the verge of winning an Olympic gold medal, the one piece that has eluded him throughout his career. The Serbian beat Germany’s Dominik Koepfer 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals.
His next opponent will be the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, and there is a little history between the two of them. They have faced each other 13 times in the last six years, with Djokovic winning his last 10 matches for 11 victories in total to Tsitsipas’ two. Their most famous match came in 2021 in the French Open final, when Djokovic came roaring back from a 2-0 deficit and almost certain defeat to win the title.
But what about the rest of Americans? Let’s take a look at how they perform as the Olympic tennis events enter the homestretch.
Taylor Fritz loses, Tommy Paul advances to quarter-finals
Fritz, world number 12 in men’s singles (and American number one), had looked fantastic in the first two rounds, but couldn’t get past Lorenzo Musetti in the third round. The Italian has been playing well lately. (he reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon last month, where he lost to Djokovic) and managed to beat Fritz 6-4, 7-5 in straight sets.
There is still one American left in the men’s singles: Tommy Paul, ranked 13th. He beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet in straight sets on Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals, but his next opponent could be the immovable object that stops him in his tracks: Alcaraz. Nadal’s Spanish heir (who also happens to be divine on clay) won the French Open in June, then beat Djokovic in the Wimbledon final a few weeks later. He will now face Paul in the quarters at the Olympics after beating Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday. It will take a lot for Paul to defeat Alcaraz, but we’ve seen stranger things at the Olympics.
Iga Swiatek qualifies for the semi-finals
Iga Swiatek advances to the semi-finals after the retirement of Danielle Collins in the third set of their match (6-1, 2-6, 4-1).
Swiatek cruised through the first set before Collins tied the match. Collins briefly stunned Swiatek in the third set with a crushing backhand to the ribcage. After Swiatek took a 4-1 lead in the final set, Collins quit. The two appeared to exchange words at the end of the match.
Swiatek will now face Zheng Qinwen in the semi-final.
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula fall to the Czech team in women’s doubles
The duo of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula were seeded No. 1 overall in the women’s doubles at the Olympic Games. Less than two months ago, they won their first Grand Slam doubles title at Roland Garros, where they played on Wednesday. Unlike at Roland Garros, Gauff and Pegula failed to triumph. They lost to Czech duo Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova after splitting the first two sets 6-2, 4-6, then losing the tiebreak 5-10.
Gauff, who was eliminated in the women’s singles on Tuesdayalso fell in mixed doubles alongside Taylor Fritz later Wednesday afternoon. This officially ended his hopes of winning a medal this summer. Gauff and Fritz lost to Canadians Gabby Dabrowski and Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (2), 3-6, 10-8.
