Rafael Nadal criticizes ‘completely irrelevant’ Olympic regulation that could lose doubles medal.
Rafael Nadal bemoaned the inclusion of a super tiebreak at the Olympics after reaching the quarterfinals with doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz. On Tuesday at Roland Garros, the Spanish doubles combo defeated Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands.
Nadal and Alcaraz won the first set, 6-4, but lost the second, 7-6. A super tiebreak was used to determine the winner, with Spain comfortably prevailing 10-2.
Despite his victory, tennis icon Rafael Nadal believes super tiebreaks are unneeded in the Olympics. The 38-year-old noted that, while they help singles players compete better in doubles at Grand Slams, they do not always serve the same purpose at the Olympics, which he considers to be a far more important doubles competition.
“The thing is that in doubles everything gets complicated very quickly and that was seen in the second set, where being better than them and having more opportunities than the rest, you get to the tiebreak and you lose them,” Nadal told Reuters.
“On a personal perspective, I believe it is completely superfluous to play the Olympics with a super tie break. In a circuit competition, I believe it is understandable because it allows singles players to compete in doubles; nevertheless, the Games come every four years and are the most significant doubles matches of our careers, so this format is a bit of a lottery.”
Nadal and Alcaraz are the odds-on favourites to capture Olympic gold in men’s doubles. Their super-team is so good that previous medalist Mardy Fish joked about their being disqualified.
King of Clay Nadal is pleased with how both he and the defending Wimbledon champion have performed at Roland Garros. Nadal has won 14 French Open titles and is currently enjoying his time in Paris.
He continued, “We performed considerably better than the first day. In overall, I believe we played more harmoniously and solidly throughout, and that we outperformed our competitors.
“The environment has been impressive, and I’m enjoying every game I play here with a level of affection and support that is difficult to describe. We’re enjoying it together, which is wonderful since we realize it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Meanwhile, British players Andy Murray and Dan Evans have advanced to the quarterfinals. Murray’s final tennis match has been postponed following a thrilling victory over Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.