Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alacaraz launch Olympics doubles bid in style

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Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz started their exciting new partnership by defeating the sixth-seeded team of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni at Roland Garros.

After shining at the opening ceremony, Nadal returned to familiar territory to showcase his skills alongside Alcaraz in the men's doubles event. They secured a 7-6 (4) 6-4 victory in the first round, demonstrating their expertise on the court.

He was still wearing support on his right thigh and it is unknown if the 14-time French Open winner will compete in his upcoming singles match against Marton Fucsovics on Sunday. But based on his performance, it seems that Nadal and Alcaraz will be tough to beat.

Nadal had competed in 116 matches at Roland Garros before this one, emerging victorious in 112 of them. However, none had quite the same impact as this one.

To begin with, it was his debut doubles match on the clay courts of Paris, playing alongside his friend and partner, and facing a crowd that was just as energetic as they would be for a French Open championship match.

When Gonzalez and Molteni entered the court, the audience, who were predominantly French and not Spanish, showed their disapproval by booing them. This disapproval was likely due to their connection with their fellow football players from their country who had been involved in scandal.

Nadal is mostly recognized for his success in singles matches, but he also has a lot of experience playing doubles. He won a gold medal at the Olympics with Marc Lopez eight years ago.

Alcaraz is inexperienced in this type of game, which was clear from the beginning. The 21-year-old quickly lost his serve and struggled to make shots while standing near the geraniums at the side of the court.

Gonzalez and Molteni, who often play together, made it to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon this month. With the help of Nadal's popularity, the Spanish duo was able to tie the game and win the first set after a tie-break. The match was briefly interrupted by a loud cheer for France's victory in the rugby sevens.

Nadal and Alcaraz struggled at the beginning of the second set but managed to recover after being down 0-3. Alcaraz, who has shown to be a fast learner, appeared much more comfortable on the court.

The French Open and Wimbledon winner made a powerful comeback that helped his team gain an important advantage at 5-4, allowing Nadal to easily secure the win with his serves.