PARIS — Rafael Nadal decided to play singles at the Paris Olympics, starting by facing Marton Fucsovics of Hungary in the first round on Sunday, Nadal’s manager, Benito Perez-Barbadillo, told The Associated Press.
The 38-year-old Nadal has dealt with a series of injuries the past two seasons. His right thigh was taped during his first-round doubles victory with Carlos Alcaraz for Spain on Saturday night. Nadal said after that match he hadn’t decided whether to compete in singles.
“Tomorrow, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Nadal said Saturday. “I don’t know if I’m going to play or not.”
He said then that he wanted to consult with his team before figuring out what to do.
Nadal went through a practice session Sunday morning to test his fitness, then opted to face Fucsovics in Court Philippe Chatrier in the afternoon, Perez-Barbadillo said.
On Saturday night, Nadal and Alcaraz — Spain’s old-and-new pairing of tennis superstars — won the first match they’ve ever played together as a doubles team, eliminating Argentina’s Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6 (4), 6-4.
Nadal has not made clear whether the Summer Games will be the last event of his storied career, although there’s been plenty of speculation it will be, given all of his recent health problems, including an operation on his hip last year and his connection to Roland Garros. That’s the clay-court facility being used for these Olympics and the site of the annual French Open, where he claimed a record 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.
There is a statue of Nadal just outside the main stadium, and fans gathered there Sunday morning to snap photos of themselves with the steel rendering of the player.
Asked Saturday whether these Olympics could be his final outing before retirement, Nadal replied: “I never said that. I don’t know.”
Nadal’s participation in the 2024 Olympics actually began Friday night, when he was a surprise torch bearer during the opening ceremony.
If Nadal, who won Olympic golds in singles at Beijing in 2008 and in doubles with Marc Lopez at Rio de Janeiro in 2016, does beat Fucsovics, next up would be a second-round match against longtime rival Novak Djokovic, who owns a men’s-record 24 Grand Slam titles.
No one has taken on Nadal more than Djokovic, one of his counterparts in the so-called Big Three of men’s tennis, which also featured the now-retired Roger Federer. There have been 59 installments of Nadal vs. Djokovic, more than between any two other men in the Open era of tennis, which dates to 1968.
Djokovic leads 30-29 overall, while Nadal leads 11-7 in Grand Slam matches – including 8-2 at Roland Garros.
“Playing him is like a final, really, for me in any tournament, particularly here, knowing what he has achieved, what he’s done, for our sport, particularly here in Roland Garros. His record speaks for itself,” Djokovic said after winning his first-round match on Saturday. “I look forward to it. If we get to face each other, it’s going to be possibly the last time we get to face each other on a big stage. I’m sure that people will enjoy it. I’m looking forward to it.”