There are still major doubts over Rafael Nadal’s participation in the singles at the Paris Olympics, but he appears to be on course to play doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.
Just hours after the Paris 2024 draws were made, Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya raised alarm bells as he confirmed the 22-time Grand Slam winner suffered a “setback” ahead of the opening weekend of the Games.
The former world No 1 was due to practice with Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros on Thursday, but the session was cancelled with Moya admitting that he “cannot guarantee” that Nadal would play.
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“He has suffered a small setback and what was necessary was to rest. I cannot guarantee anything, we have to wait. There is no decision taken that he will not play,” he told the media.
“We are going to give ourselves 48 hours. I can’t say anything for sure. We have to wait.”
Nadal is due to kick off his 2024 Olympic campaign in the men’s doubles alongside Alcaraz on Saturday as the Spanish pair will face sixth-seeded Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the first round.
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The tennis great is also scheduled to feature in the singles and he will take on Marton Fucsovics in the first round with the match expected to be on Sunday.
Should he get past the Hungarian then he could be in for a mouthwatering second-round clash against fellow legend Novak Djokovic in the final, but a clash against his old foe remains up in the air.
Nadal returned to training on Friday with his right thigh strapped and showed no discomfort during the doubles practice session as he and Alcaraz won a set 6-3 against Marcel Granollers and Pablo Carreno Busta on Philippe Chatrier.
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And for now it looks like his doubles campaign will go ahead, but there are still question marks over the singles with Spain captain David Ferrer hinting that the intensity in singles could be problematic.
“I’m sure Rafa will be in the doubles tomorrow because he trained well today,” he said. “Let’s see how he feels. Doubles require less intensity than singles, where you have to be very well prepared physically and in top condition.”
The 38-year-old has played only 17 singles matches this year with the bulk of those coming at the Swedish Open last week where he enjoyed a run to the final as he finished runner-up to Nuno Borges.
He played at the French Open before that, but lost in the first round against Zverev while he also suffered early defeats in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome.