Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz have joined forces at the Olympics.
Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni received a very unwarm welcome onto Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Olympics on Saturday night as they were booed when they first stepped onto the court.
The No. 6 seeds are taking on the epic Spanish pairing of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in the first round of the men’s doubles.
And the fans inside the stadium made it clear that the Argentine duo would be battling more than just the two multi-Grand Slam champions, showing their allegiances by jeering Nadal and Alcaraz’s opponents
Nadal and Alcaraz were first to step out onto the main showcourt at Stade Roland Garros on Saturday night. With the roof closed, the cheers were deafening as the Parisian spectators welcomed the 14-time French Open winner and the man who lifted the clay-court Grand Slam trophy early last month.
But it was a completely different reception for Gonzalez and Molteni, as the 15,000-strong crowd booed the sixth seeds when they followed the Spanish pair.
The jeers turned to cheers as Nadal and Alcaraz’s opponents got to their bench but the fans made their allegiances clear – they didn’t want to see a first-round defeat for the dream doubles team.
But the Argentine team quickly silenced the crowd and let their tennis do the talking as they chose to receive and broke in the very first game. The fans applauded when they took a 1-0 lead but there was a huge roar from the stands when Nadal and Alcaraz won the first two points of the next game.
And they got things back on track, breaking to level at 1-1 thanks to a double fault. It’s no surprise the Parisian fans have been so passionate about the Spanish team, as this could be Nadal’s last outing at Roland Garros.
