Rafael Nadal raised eyebrows when asked about his potential showdown with Novak Djokovic at the Olympics. The Spaniard joined forces with Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s doubles to beat No. 6 seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni on Saturday.
The 38-year-old will play his first singles match on Sunday and, if he wins, his long-time rival Djokovic awaits in the second round.
Fans are hoping that Nadal and Djokovic will face off for one final time before the eventual end of their careers. But the 14-time French Open champion had other ideas.
After securing a 7-6(4) 6-4 win in the doubles alongside Alcaraz, attention quickly turned to Nadal’s singles draw and his potential second-round opponent. The Spaniard has been battling injuries for the better part of the last two years and has yet to decide on his tennis future beyond the Olympics.
It means that, if he faces Djokovic in round two, it will likely be their 60th and final meeting. But Nadal threw a spanner in the works when quizzed over it. The former No. 1 was asked: “Are you ready for the last dance with Djokovic? Are you ready for it?”
Before walking away, Nadal simply replied: “Who say [it’s the] last dance?” He must first overcome world No. 83 Marton Fucsovics.
Nadal is set to face the Hungarian in the second day session match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday. But there have been some concerns over whether he will even compete in the singles event after his coach admitted that he suffered a “setback” earlier this week.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner cancelled a planned singles hitting session with Alexander Zverev on Thursday and returned on Friday only to practice doubles with Alcaraz. He has been sporting heavy strapping on his right thigh and wore the bandages again for his doubles match on Saturday night. And he has yet to decide whether he will stay in the singles draw.
But Nadal was happy with their performance as he earned his first win on Chatrier since lifting his 14th French Open trophy in June 2022. “We played well. It has been a very tough start against a great couple, they are so good, they are used to playing together,” he said.
It has been an emotional night, an electrifying night, amazing crowd and to play with Carlos in this court has been so special. Just super happy about the victory and to give us the chance to keep going.”
Nadal also touched on his inclusion in the Opening Ceremony on Friday night. He was one of three tennis players to carry the torch as well as Serena Williams and Amelie Mauresmo. He added: “Yesterday was a super emotional moment for me too. I can’t thank enough Paris and France to give me that honour. I’m still with the emotions very high, just enjoying every single moment and let’s see what’s going on.”
Meanwhile, Alcaraz said it was a dream to partner with his idol in the doubles. “It was a dream come true, honestly. I dreamed about playing my Olympic Games, my debut in the Olympic Games, but playing with Rafa it was even more special. I’m really happy about the level we played, I’m really happy to give us the chance to keep going, to play another round. I think our level is good enough to believe and hopefully keep going,” he smiled. The world No. 3 is also through to the second round in singles.
