American team Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram beat Spaniards Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 48 minutes on Wednesday.
Moreover, the 22-time Grand Slam champion said farewell to a remarkable Olympic journey, spanning four appearances, in which he became a two-time gold medalist.
GRACIAS RAFA ️
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 31, 2024
A Parisian love story that will live forever.#Olympics #MoreThanSport #Paris2024 @RafaelNadal | @ITFTennis | @COE_es | @Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/ecApBRhoOc
The 38-year-old first gold came in singles at Beijing 2008, and then playing doubles with Marc Lopez at Rio 2016.
On Wednesday, Nadal, who played all his matches with his upper right leg taped due to injury, walked out of Court Philippe-Chatrier, where he achieved a record 14 French Open titles alongside first-time doubles partner Alcaraz, having left their all on the court.
Following three rounds, the electrifying duo set on fire the fans in the stadium, going from strength to strength within each match.
However, the experienced Americans, who have combined five Grand Slam doubles titles, proved too strong from the onset, producing two breaks of serve on their way to seal the opener 6-3 in 43 minutes.
The Spanish players regrouped into a close start to the second set until the fourth-seeded players took the break in the seventh game, inching ahead 4-3.
A critical 10th game would see the American pair fending off three break points while their opponents fought hard, saving a match point in a comeback attempt that would end as their rivals stayed the course to wrap up 6-4 with an ace.
“Nadalcaraz” finished with 21 winners against 17 unforced errors, failing to convert none of 4 break point chances, to Krajicek and Ram 23 and 14, respectively.
Meanwhile, their adversaries took 3 out of 5 break points opportunities they earned.
Earlier in the day, two-time Wimbledon winner Alcaraz, who is contesting his maiden Olympics, claimed a straight-set victory over Roman Safiullin, delivering a stellar performance to extend his winning streak in Roland-Garros to 10 matches.
The World No. 3 set up a quarterfinal clash against American Tommy Paul, who edged Frenchman Corentin Moutet 7-6(5), 6-3 after two hours and 17 minutes on Court Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
A month ago, the 21-year-old from Murcia, who aims to win his first Olympic medal on debut in Paris, defeated ninth seed Paul at Wimbledon quarterfinals en route to defend the title.
On Monday, Nadal’s singles run ended in the second round, defeated by long-time rival Novak Djokovic 6-1, 6-4.