At the Paris Olympics, the tennis scene is changing much faster than anyone would have anticipated the moment draws were made public. The first prey that fell to the tough draw was Andy Murray. Undoubtedly there might have been some fitness issues, but his first opponent would have been Novak Djokovic. And the next time we see the Olympics draw, Murray is playing only doubles. It seems that Rafael Nadal is following in the same footsteps. As after the injury worries, the Spaniard might withdraw from the singles, and would just play doubles on the clay courts of Paris.
Recently, there were concerns about Nadal’s fitness, after he missed practice and Carlos Moya announced a 48-hour wait-and-watch period for the player to further assess his condition. The injury updates and then Alcaraz’s opposing statement that Nadal is fine seem to have stirred up unnecessary controversy in somewhat bitter-sweet news.
Fans hoped that despite practicing with a bandage, Nadal would at least step on the clay court. This tennis fan said, “Rafa, who continues to wear the bandage on his thigh, at practice this morning alongside Alcaraz. Hopefully, he can at least play doubles, if not singles.”
The moment the draw was made public, Nadal was sitting in the first seat with a calculative mind, analyzing his run at the singles and the doubles. One thing tennis fans can be sure about is the fact that Nadal is analytical and not someone who would run away just because the journey to the finals might be tough. However, some fans were of contrasting view, that Djokovic’s threat made Nadal run away from singles.
“Don’t buy it”- Novak Djokovic fans up in arms after Rafael Nadal’s injury update
Djokovic has certainly traversed a long way in over 2 decades. There was a time when tennis fans refused to accept Djokovic’s tennis prowess against Nadal and Roger Federer. Despite winning, the latter two remained favorites in the circuit. And now after 20 years, Djokovic seems to have garnered his loyal fan base, who are ready to take a dig at anyone who is against the Serbian ace.
But is this clash of the titans even possible if Nadal withdraws from singles? For Djokovic fans, it will be the Spaniard running away due to pressure. One said, “He’s not injured, just felt the pressure cause vs Novak. He would be the favorite given the surface and Novak’s bad movement due to recent knee surgery. So he has to lower expectations by putting pressure on Novak and have also an excuse in case he’d lose.” Any sympathy for the Spaniard’s injury worries has been dismissed, it seems.
Nadal missed practice against Zverev but was back on the clay court with taping on his thigh. He joined Alcaraz for a light practice before stepping into the competition. This itself became an issue as Rafa and Alcaraz were practicing hitting individually and not together yet. Highlighting this fact, this user said, “Nadal is back practicing. If he’s really injured, then how can he play doubles and not the singles, no?”
Another name undergoing injury problems, Andy Murray has already stepped away from singles to focus on doubles, as it presents a better chance at a medal. One X user leveraged this fact, as they termed the Rafa injury scare a drama. They said, “This drama started immediately after the draw. I wonder why.”
Certainly thinking that Djokovic’s top form presents a great threat to Nadal’s chances in the singles. Hence, the Spaniard is preserving energy to ensure that he has enough ammunition left for the doubles. And others also came out with this though as they said, “So!! he can play doubles but not singles? don’t buy it!!!!🤣”
They say, “He must play singles or he is scared of Nole!” Given how almost equal their head-to-head tally stands at 29-30 in the Serbian’s favor, it will be a tossup on who might win. It’s Nadal’s favorite surface but he hasn’t appeared in many matches in the last 2 years. Djokovic has been doing better this year, not to mention how close he came to a Calendar year in 2023. But at the same time, he just had surgery and is coming off of a Wimbledon final.
Can Djokovic switch surfaces successfully? Will he scare off his nemesis? No, at the stage where the Big 3 stand today, being scared is not an option. It’s all about ensuring the chances that your country can gain another Olympic medal.
