Rafael Nadal has seen his Olympic gold medal hopes disappear after his exit in the men’s doubles event.

Nadal crashed out of the Olympics singles at the second round stage, losing 6-1, 6-4 to longtime adversary Novak Djokovic.

His prospects of a podium finish then depended on the doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz, but they have now fallen at the quarter-final stage.

It was always going to be difficult against doubles specialists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, who ran out 6-2, 6-4 victors.

The American fourth seeds surged into the semi-finals with remarkable ease, leaving Alcaraz and Nadal with plenty of regrets.

Rafael Nadal analyses Olympics loss with Carlos Alcaraz

It was a dismal start for the Spanish pair on the Paris clay, as they were unable to make the most of their devoted fans in the crowd. Nadal, who thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the Olympics, was unable to capitalize on the crowd’s enthusiasm.

Neither of them were ever able to win the match, and Nadal is now analyzing the reasons why he and his countryman were unsuccessful in their attempt to win.

“I haven’t been at the level I needed to fight for medals on an individual level,” Nadal said after the match, as reported by Marca. “In doubles, we were playing at a very good level, but today we weren’t on target.” Nadal’s statement was made in reference to yesterday’s encounter.

“As I’ve been saying every day, in doubles, the matches go by very quickly and every detail has its impact. This morning, we did not get off to a good start, and we were unable to push the game to its absolute maximum.

Following his elimination from the Olympics, what are Rafael Nadal’s next steps?

In light of the fact that Nadal has been “suffering” for the past two years, the veteran deserves a great deal of credit for even participating in the competition.

Due to the conditions of his injuries, he was unable to compete in Wimbledon, which consequently gave him the opportunity to thoroughly prepare himself for the Olympics.

However, now that his desire has been realized, retirement is a serious possibility for the 38-year-old tennis player, who may not be able to compete at the US Open.

There is a possibility that Nadal would call it quits a day before the start of the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the season, which will take place later this month.

Regardless of the choice that the Spaniard ultimately selects, he will be remembered as one of the most accomplished athletes that the sporting world has ever witnessed.