By Humberto Viera
28 Jul 2024, 23:35 PM EDT
Rafael Nadal has expressed his willingness to face Serbian Novak Djokovic in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympic tournament, despite admitting that he is going through a period of uncertainty in his career.
The Spaniard struggled to secure his victory against Hungarian Marton Fucsovics but managed to qualify for the next round. “I’m going to try, I’m enjoying the experience,” Nadal said of his upcoming encounter with Djokovic, an opponent he usually faced in the final rounds of other tournaments.
“Normally, when we played these matches, it was in the final rounds for something really important. These are the Olympics and every match is crucial, for sure. I am not sure at what level I will be able to play, so I will try my best to really give Novak a hard time, but it is a bit uncertain what can happen,” Nadal explained.
“I always try to maintain the necessary attitude and, if inspiration comes, I will be working. I will be there, trying to give my best to make it a special night in a magical atmosphere,” said the winner of twenty-two Grand Slam titles.
Nadal explained his current physical condition and the decision to participate in the singles tournament. “On Saturday we decided, together with my team, to play this match. It is true that I had to stop for a day due to a problem in the long adductor muscle, and the tests showed a small injury. I have been working a lot with physiotherapy these days and I think it is holding up. However, I am uncertain how the muscle will react. The injury is very small and it seems that it does not directly affect my movements. Therefore, I am relatively optimistic,” he said.
“On Saturday I was unsure whether I should save myself for doubles only, but I decided to try. I think it went well and I hope that on Monday I can get up without any problems and compete in good condition,” Nadal said.
The 14-time Roland Garros champion acknowledged the difficulties he faced in winning his match against Fucsovics.
“I played a very good first set, at a higher level than I had been showing lately. Afterwards, I couldn’t maintain that intensity and pace of play; I dropped my level, which allowed my opponent to gain confidence and make the match more difficult. In the end, I found a way to recover my level and I’m happy about it because it gives me the opportunity to play again on Monday, a match that I’m excited about, although I’m cautious,” he added.
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