- Carlos Alcaraz lost to Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles final at Paris 2024
- Alcaraz had to settle for a silver medal after Djokovic beat him 7-6 7-6 on clay
- Djokovic had earlier knocked out Rafael Nadal 6-1 6-4 in the second round
Rafael Nadal has congratulated Carlos Alcaraz and urged him to appreciate his achievement after winning a silver medal for Spain at Paris 2024.
Alcaraz had to settle for silver after losing 7-6 7-6 to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s Olympic final at Roland Garros.
The victory meant a lot to Djokovic as it saw him become only the fifth singles player in tennis history to complete a career Grand Slam – by winning Olympic gold, as well as all four majors.
But Nadal believes that Alcaraz – who had beaten Djokovic in each of the last two Wimbledon finals – should also be proud of his medal.
Nadal sent Alcarez a message via X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday evening.
It read: ‘Carlos, although I know today is a difficult day, value a medal that is very important to the entire country and you will see, over time, that it is for you too.
Thank you for this incredible week and for a medal that you give us to Spanish sport. A hug.’
Nadal also has a career Grand Slam on his CV. His Olympic singles gold came in Beijing in 2008, after he had beaten Djokovic in the semi-finals.
The 38-year-old also won an Olympic gold medal in the doubles event at Rio 2016 when he teamed up with Marc Lopez.
Nadal had hoped to win another at Paris 2024 after partnering with Alcarez but the Spanish pair lost to Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram of the USA in the quarter-finals.
Alcaraz will now look forward to the US Open, which begins on August 26.
Nadal is unlikely to play at Flushing Meadows.
