Rafael Nadal wins Olympic singles tennis title, sets up Novak Djokovic next round

PARIS (AP) — The first standing ovation from the crowd for Rafael Nadal This happened when he wasn’t even in their presence, just an image displayed on a video screen as he waited in the stadium corridor to exit onto the field used for Paris Olympics And the French Open, which he made his own.

They remained on their feet, some clapping, others holding up their phones to capture the moment he stepped out onto the familiar red clay. Chants of “Rafa! Rafa!” rang out at various times, and red and yellow Spanish flags fluttered in the stands as Nadal beat Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round on Sunday to set up a thrilling Wimbledon showdown with Novak Djokovic. Summer games.

“Playing against Novak was always very special, right? No doubt about it. But the difference is that we usually play for the final or the semi-final. This is the second match,” the 38-year-old Nadal said with a laugh.

This will be the 60th meeting between these two greats, more than any other meeting between any two men in the Open era, which began in 1968. Djokovic, 37, of Serbia, leads the head-to-head series 30-29, and leads his rival Federer 3-1. 24 Grand Slam titles It makes him the only man in tennis history to have more titles than Nadal’s record of 22.

Djokovic underwent knee surgery in June after tearing his meniscus at the French Open in early June but recovered quickly — and well enough — to reach the Wimbledon final two weeks ago, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz. Nadal, meanwhile, has dealt with a series of injuries over the past two seasons, including hip surgery in 2023, and had his right thigh bandaged on Sunday. He needed to have a finger on his right hand treated by a trainer in the third set against Fucsovics.

“Every match I played against Novak – almost every match – I was in a different situation than I am today. That makes the match more difficult for me. More volatile in the results. But I always have hope, I always believe and I will do my best,” Nadal said.

The men’s second round is played on Monday and Tuesday, and no official date has been announced for the Nadal-Djokovic match. Nadal said he was told they would play on Monday, adding that he “unfortunately” believes the match will be played at night, which could benefit Djokovic’s playing style.

“It’s always great to play them against each other. Two legends of the sport. It will be special for sure,” said Stan Wawrinka, who has won three Grand Slam titles after beating either Nadal or Djokovic in the finals.

Nadal He made a last-minute decision to stay in the singles category, one day after winning the doubles with his partner. The caraz He said he was not sure if he would participate in either event.

And Nadal didn’t just play on Sunday. He played for periods, especially early in the match and in the decisive moments in the final stages, like the version we’ve come to see of him: the superstar who runs fast, skates and makes noises, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles and won Olympic gold medals for Spain in singles in 2008 and doubles in 2016.

And the audience loved it.

“His fighting spirit is still at its highest level. He’s not at his best playing. But if he’s on a good day, he can beat anyone,” Foxovics said.

There was no way of knowing if this would be Nadal’s last singles match at these Olympics… or on this court that has meant so much to his career (and vice versa)… or anywhere else. He has been somewhat coy about retirement recently, even after saying in 2023 that he expected 2024 to be his last.

“Of course I know that this may be the last time I play here. Maybe not. I can’t confirm that because I don’t know,” Nadal said, shrugging his shoulders.

After a morning training session to test his fitness, he made the decision to play, some 18 and a half hours after Nadal and Alcaraz – the old and new duo of Spanish tennis stars – won their first match together as a doubles team.

As Nadal and Fucsovics warmed up under blue skies and a light breeze, shouts of “Ole!” rang out. The crowd rose from their seats when Nadal raced to a 3-0 lead after just 13 minutes on his way to winning the first set against the 32-year-old Fucsovics, ranked 83rd in the world.

Nadal said he felt the love of the fans.

Nadal did not look ready to lose at all, especially at the start of the match. In the second game, Nadal sprinted, then slipped, and hit a powerful backhand across the court to win a point and astonish the crowd.

This is what it feels like: a captivated audience watching and appreciating the performance of someone known for his work. The relentless pursuit of every ball. The powerful strike of a left-handed player with a powerful forehand and a match-winning position over his head. The sounds of effort that punctuate many racket strokes.

Of course, Vukovic’s career doesn’t match Nadal’s. He has reached just one Grand Slam quarterfinal, at Wimbledon in 2021, and has been knocked out in the first round at every major so far this season.

In fact, Nadal won’t be able to win a Grand Slam match in 2024 either. He missed the Australian Open in January with a thigh muscle injury near the site of his surgery, was knocked out in the first round of the French Open in May by runner-up Alexander Zverev, and then missed Wimbledon in July because he wanted to avoid having to warm up on grass there before returning to clay for the Olympics.

After Nadal took the opening set, things slowed down a bit for him. Suddenly, Fucsovics was the one controlling the baseline exchanges, especially with his powerful forehand.

Finally, and to no surprise, Nadal began to regain his muscle strength. He quickly managed to land a final forehand, then raised his arms with clenched fists.

Now comes a more difficult task for Djokovic, one that is sure to attract a lot of attention.

“It was a good test,” Nadal said of beating Fucsovics in a two-and-a-half-hour match. “The good thing is that I was able to play good tennis for a while. That always gives me hope.”

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Associated Press sports writer Andrew Dampf contributed to this report.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games