Rafael Nadal labels Paris Olympic scheduling ‘outrageous’
Rafael Nadal appears to be going ahead with singles competition at the Paris Olympics, despite labelling the schedule as ‘outrageous’ following his first round doubles win with Carlos Alcaraz.
Nadal and Alcaraz began their Olympic campaign with a straight sets victory over the Argentinian pair of Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez, winning 7-6(4) 6-4.
And the 38-year-old Spaniard appeared pleased with his first match alongside Alcaraz, “The match was of the highest level. I think we played well and in the decisive moments we played with the right determination.
“The match was of the highest level, the rivals were a very consolidated pair, one of the best in the world. It was a difficult match, we enjoyed it but also suffered at times.”
However, a lot of the conversation after the match surrounded Nadal’s singles participation, after doubts were cast from his coach Carlos Moya upon revealing a right leg injury which was bandaged on court last night.
These talks were only heightened when Nadal hit out at the scheduling, after his singles match was confirmed to be second on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday.
“A 2:00 p.m. game? I don’t understand the schedule,” Nadal told press. “It seems outrageous to me when I’m playing at two o’clock.”
He added, “I don’t know if I’ll play tomorrow. 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.”
Despite evidently being frustrated with the scheduling after finishing at around 9:30pm in Paris last night, it appears that Nadal will play singles today as he was not featured on the withdrawal list.
Nadal is set to play Hungarian Marton Fucsovics this afternoon in the French capital, with the winner facing top seed Novak Djokovic.
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) July 26, 2024
Inside the baseline…
Although it is understandable that Rafael Nadal wants as much time as possible between matches due to his recent injury struggles, many other player schedules have had much tougher schedules – including playing multiple matches in one day! That being said, it appears positive that Nadal has not withdrawn from singles just yet and he looked to be playing well on the doubles court yesterday, as everyone looks ahead to a potential meeting with rival Novak Djokovic.
READ NEXT – Tennis at the Paris Olympics 2024 Preview: When is it, who is playing and how does it work?
Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB
Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube
Read >> World’s best tennis magazine
Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner
