The prospect of an Olympic showdown between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal is still on the cards.
Spain’s Olympic team captain David Ferrer has confirmed to the media that his compatriot will play his first round match against Hungary’s Martin Fucsovics on Sunday. In recent hours there has been uncertainty over Nadal’s participation in the singles tournament with the 38-year-old still expressing doubts on Saturday evening. This morning he conducted a training session which appeared to have gone well. Although, the tennis star was wearing strapping on his right thigh.
“The bandage is cumbersome, but it is a precaution. We will see how he is when the match is over,” Ferrer told RTVE.
If he beats Fucsovics, Nadal will then face Novak Djokovic in what could be a blockbuster encounter.
The confirmation comes a day after Nadal criticized Olympic organizers over the schedule of his matches. Following his win in the doubles with Carlos Alcaraz at around 10pm local time on Saturday evening, he was informed that his singles match was scheduled to take play earlier this afternoon. Prompting a bemused response from the 38-year-old.
“A 2:00 p.m. game? I don’t understand the schedule,” he said.
“It seems outrageous to me when I’m playing at two o’clock.
“I don’t know if I’ll play tomorrow (Sunday).
“I’ll have to go back to the village and talk to the team, I’ll make the decision that I think is most appropriate to have a chance of getting results for Spain.
“Sometimes less is more.”
However, he was more positive when talking about his latest performance in the doubles. Nadal and Alcaraz defeated sixth seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni of Argentina 7-6(4), 6-4.
“The match was of the highest level,” he said.
“I think we played well and in the decisive moments we played with the right determination.”
Paris will almost certainly be the last Olympic Games Nadal plays in before retiring from the sport. However, he has not yet stated when he plans to step away from the sport. He is a two-time gold medal winner, claiming the men’s singles title in 2008 and then the doubles crown in 2016 with Marc Lopez.
