Rafael Nadal is on the red clay at Roland Garros for his first-round singles tennis match against Marton Fucsovics, a moment that organizers surely lusted for as they planned these Paris Games and one they couldn’t take for granted given Nadal’s recent history of injuries.
But he’s on, representing Spain and carrying one of the most dominant advantages in all of sport, with 14 French Open titles and only four losses in the major played here. He won a doubles match on Saturday while paired with Carlos Alcaraz, and now he starts a singles run that would pair him against Novak Djokovic in the second round should he get past Fucsovics.
His ability to play in the singles tournament at all has been in question as he manages a thigh injury.
No matter what happens here, Nadal already has made his mark on these Olympics as a prominent part of the torch relay during the opening ceremony. Nadal, 38, could earn his third Olympic medal here, having won a singles gold in 2008 and a doubles gold in 2016.
GO FURTHER
What’s it like to play Rafael Nadal on clay? We asked Djokovic, Ruud and Dimitrov
Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/olympics-2024-paris-live-updates-day-two-scores-results/NWBItTb41KLe/
Author :
Publish date : 2024-07-28 14:09:11
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.