Nadal and Alcaraz fall in doubles in Olympic tennis quarterfinals

Paris. Trailing 5-3 and a set behind, Rafael Nadal fired a serve ace on the red clay of Roland Garros — perhaps for the last time — to keep Spain alive in the Olympic doubles tournament. If only by one more game.

That’s all they needed. One more game.

Yet another game to allow nostalgia to settle over what was once the favourite hunting ground for the 22-time Grand Slam champion. Cries of “Vamos Rafa! Vamos Rafa!” and “Olé, olé, olé, Rafa, Rafa!” provided the backdrop for Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz’s final act in Paris at the Olympic doubles tournament.

In the end, the winners of 25 Grand Slam tournaments between them, including 15 on this very Philippe Chatrier court, fell 6-2, 6-4 to the American duo of two specialists, the American duo of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

Plagued by injuries that have plagued him for more than a year, Nadal, 38, lost his first service game amid the chants that have accompanied him on the biggest stage of his career: “Come on Rafa!” That was all Krajicek and Ram needed to silence Chatrier and end the first set in 43 minutes.

Alcaraz lost serve in the seventh game of the second set to put Krajicek and Ram ahead 4-3, when Ram’s forehand crosscourt shot barely grazed the parallel line, a point that left Alcaraz and Nadal arguing for minutes with the lineswoman. To no avail.