Rafael Nadal Encourages Carlos Alcaraz After Olympics Loss

Rafael Nadal posted a message to Carlos Alcaraz on his Instagram account.

Rafael Nadal encouraged Carlos Alcaraz after his Olympics loss. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday afternoon, Carlos Alcaraz's winning streak came to a screeching halt on the clay courts of Roland Garros. The 21-year-old lost to Novak Djokovic in the Olympic Gold Medal match: 7-6(3), 7-6(2).

Alcaraz, the youngest men's tennis player to reach the men's final in over a century, broke down in tears after losing the match. It was a rare loss for Alcaraz and an even rarer moment of vulnerability from the superstar.

Tennis fans and players quickly took to social media to offer words of encouragement to Alcaraz. One of those was Rafael Nadal, a fellow Spanish tennis player and close friend of Alcaraz.

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A post shared by Rafa Nadal (@rafaelnadal)

Nadal posted on his Instagram, "Carlos, even though I know today is a difficult day, value a medal that is very important for the whole country; eventually you will see that too. Thank you for this incredible week and for a medal you've given to Spanish sport."

Of course, Nadal and Alcaraz played doubles tennis together during the Paris Olympics. Additionally, Nadal's singles run in Paris came to an end after losing to Djokovic in the second round.

Since then, Nadal has been battered with questions about when he will retire. Meanwhile, Alcaraz is just hitting his stride and will look to continue to his Grand Slam dominance later this month at the US Open.

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Further Reading: Andy Murray says that he "never even liked tennis anyway" after his final match.