There are still serious concerns over Rafael Nadal’s participation in the singles at the Paris Olympics, but he appears to be on track to play doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz.
Just hours after the Paris 2024 draw, Nadal’s coach, Carlos Moya, sparked alarms by confirming the 22-time Grand Slam winner had experienced a “setback” ahead of the Games’ opening weekend.
The former world number one was scheduled to practice with Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros on Thursday, but the session was canceled, with Moya conceding that he “cannot guarantee” Nadal would participate.
“He experienced a minor setback and needed to relax. I cannot guarantee anything; we must wait. “There has been no decision that he will not play,” he told the journalists.
“We will give ourselves 48 hours. I cannot state anything for certain. We need to wait.”
Nadal is set to begin his 2024 Olympic campaign in the men’s doubles with Alcaraz on Saturday, against sixth-seeded Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the first round.
The tennis great is also due to compete in the singles, facing Marton Fucsovics in the opening round on Sunday.
If he beats the Hungarian, he may face fellow superstar Novak Djokovic in the second round before facing his old nemesis in the final, although that remains uncertain.
Nadal returned to training on Friday with his right thigh taped and exhibited no difficulty during the doubles practice session, where he and Alcaraz defeated Marcel Granollers and Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 at Philippe Chatrier.
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And, for the time being, it appears that his doubles campaign will continue, but there are still concerns about his singles performance, with Spain captain David Ferrer implying that the intensity in singles could be troublesome.
“I’m sure Rafa will be in the doubles tomorrow because he trained well today,” stated the coach. Let’s see how he feels. Doubles demand less intensity than singles, which necessitates physical preparation and peak performance.
The 38-year-old has only played 17 singles matches this year, the majority of which were at the Swedish Open last week, where he reached the final and finished second to Nuno Borges.
He previously competed in the French Open but was eliminated in the first round by Zverev, and he also lost early in Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome.
