Rafael Nadal’s participation in the Paris Olympics is in jeopardy due to a thigh ailment, his coach Carlos Moya announced on Thursday.
The 14-time French Open champion will compete in both the singles and men’s doubles at Roland Garros, alongside rising sensation and fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
“He had some discomfort yesterday (Wednesday) morning,” Moya told Spanish radio.
“In the afternoon he was more limited and before it got worse he decided to stop.”
Nadal, 38, did not train on Thursday, which Moya described as “the most responsible thing to do”.
“Don’t force it at the moment and see if he recovers well,” he suggested. “We will see what condition he’s in tomorrow and Saturday.”
Nadal returned to tennis this year after a long absence due to a hip injury, reaching his first ATP final since winning the 2022 French Open in Bastad this weekend before falling to Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
On Sunday, the day following his doubles match with Alcaraz, he will face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the singles first round.
If Nadal defeats Fucsovics, he might face his old adversary Novak Djokovic in the second round.
“I can’t guarantee anything, neither that he won’t play or he will play,” Moya told the reporter. “At the moment, he needs to relax and receive therapy.
“He is obviously really excited to play in the Olympics. It has been on his calendar for some years.
“He’s a natural competitor who wants to play singles and doubles. He is quite thrilled about playing doubles alongside Alcaraz. It will be their first time playing together, and it will be a historic moment for Spanish tennis.”
Nadal is a two-time Olympic champion, having won singles gold in Beijing in 2008 and doubles gold with Marc Lopez at the 2016 Rio Games.