Rafael Nadal said Saturday that he does not know if he will play singles at the Paris Olympics after picking up a thigh injury in training.
Nadal is due to face Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in the first round on Sunday and victory would hand him a 60th career clash with old rival Novak Djokovic.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, I don’t know if I am going to play tomorrow or not,” said the 38-year-old Spaniard, who is at his farewell Olympics and is also in the men’s doubles. “I will talk to my people and make the smartest decision that I can to have the best chance of bringing a medal home, so let’s see.” Nadal, who has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, teamed up with Carlos Alcaraz for the first time and defeated Argentina’s Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in front of a packed, raucous crowd under the roof on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Nadal, a singles gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and doubles title winner at Rio four years later, appeared on court with a bandage strapped around his right thigh.
The Olympics is just his seventh tournament of 2024, in a season where he has also battled a hip injury and seen his singles ranking plummet to 161.