PARIS — The fans’ first ovation for Rafael Nadal came when he wasn’t even in their presence, just an image shown on a video screen as he waited in the stadium corridor to enter the court used for the Paris Olympics and the Paris. French Open, a tournament in which he made his dominance.
They remained standing, some cheering, some raising their phones to capture images of the moment he emerged and stepped onto the red clay so familiar to him. Shouts of “Ra-fa! Rafa! sounded at various times, and many red and yellow Spanish flags fluttered in the stands, as Nadal defeated Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round on Sunday to set up a blockbuster clash against rival Novak Djokovic at the Summer Olympics.
“His fighting spirit is still at the top,” Fucsovics said of the 38-year-old Nadal. “He is not at his best playing level. But if he has a good day, he can beat anyone.”
Nadal made a last-minute decision to remain in the singles group, a day after winning the doubles with teammate Carlos Alcaraz and said he was not sure if he would participate in both events.
Not only did Nadal play on Sunday, but in stretches, especially at the beginning and in the difficult moments of the final stretch, he played very much like a version of himself that everyone is used to seeing: the fast, sliding, grunting star who owns 22 Grand Trophies Slam in all and won Olympic gold medals for Spain in singles in 2008 and doubles in 2016.
And the public loved it. “It was a pleasure,” said Fucsovics, “playing against Rafa.”
There was no way of knowing at the outset, of course, whether this would be Nadal’s last singles match at these Olympic Games… or at this stadium that meant so much to his career (and vice versa)… or, in fact, anywhere. He has been quite coy lately about his retirement, even after saying in 2023 that he imagined 2024 would be the end for him.
Nadal has faced a series of injuries over the past two seasons, including hip surgery in 2023, and his right thigh was healed on Sunday. He needed a finger on his right hand treated by a trainer in the third set.
But after undergoing a morning training session to test his fitness, he decided to play, some 18 and a half hours after Nadal and Alcaraz – Spain’s old and new pair of tennis stars – won their first match ever. competed. they played together as a doubles team.
Nadal has not made it clear whether this will be the last event of his storied career, although there is much speculation about it.
In the second round, Nadal will face Djokovic, a 37-year-old Serbian. It will be their 60th meeting, more than any two men have faced each other in the Open era, which began in 1968. Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 30-29.
Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slam titles make him the only man in tennis history with more than Nadal.
As Nadal and Fucsovics began to warm up under a blue sky with a hint of breeze, shouts of “Ole!” Spectators rose to their feet as Nadal jumped out to a 3-0 lead after just 13 minutes on his way to winning the first set against a beaten Fucsovics, a 32-year-old who is ranked 83rd.
Nadal didn’t look like someone ready to finish, at all, especially at the beginning of the match. In the second game, Nadal ran, then slipped, to deliver a backhand cross that won a point and drew a few gasps from the crowd.
It really was like this: an audience fascinated by seeing and appreciating the performance of someone whose work is so well known. The relentlessness of chasing every ball. The whip of a left-handed forehand with an overhead finishing pose. The grunts of effort that punctuate so many racket strokes.
Fucsovic’s career resume is no match for Nadal’s, naturally. Fucsovic reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon in 2021 and has been eliminated in the first round of each major tournament so far this season.
Nadal, in fact, has not won a Slam match in 2024 either. He missed the Australian Open in January because of a hip muscle injury near where he had surgery, was eliminated in the first round of the French Open in May against eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev, then sat out Wimbledon in July because he wanted to avoid needing to prepare to play on grass courts before returning to clay for the Olympics.
After Nadal ran in the opening set, things slowed down a bit for him. Suddenly, it was Fucsovics who was dictating base changes, especially with his thunderous forehand. Nadal’s shots, in turn, lost some of their usual energy.
Eventually, to no one’s surprise, muscle memory kicked in for Nadal.
A key sequence came with Nadal serving while trailing 2-1 in the third set. He fell behind at love-40, giving Fucsovics a trio of break points. But Nadal fought back, won the next five points – the last with a forehand winner – to hold on for 2-all, and then pulled away in the next game for a lead he would never relinquish.
In the ensuing exchange, a trainer was called onto the court to apply tape to the ring finger of Nadal’s right hand. He plays left-handed, but uses his right hand to hit a two-fisted backhand.
“I had a chance in the third set… but he played very solid, very aggressive,” Fucsovics said.
Nadal needed to save another break point in the next game, but he did so and led 4-2.
Soon, he was hitting one last forehand winner and then raising both arms with clenched fists. Now comes a tougher test against Djokovic, which will certainly attract a lot of attention.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
