Rafael Nadal, angered by his defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Olympics, rejected the idea of retiring.
The Spaniard was defeated by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, 6-1 6-4, in the second round of the men’s Olympics singles in Paris.
Nadal, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was blown off the court by his lifelong opponent in their 60th career meeting, a record in the men’s game.
The 38-year-old Nadal, who still plays doubles with compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, has only played a few tournaments in the last two years due to injury.
He is aware that his playing days are drawing to an end, but he is not ready to call it quits just yet, and he sounded irritated by the thought that his storied career is winding down.
“You want me to retire every day, guys, you ask me for that,” he stated after the defeat, annoyed. “I’m trying to do my best. I can’t live every day wondering if it’ll be my last match.
“I have suffered numerous injuries during the last two years. So, if I feel I am not competitive enough to keep going, or if I am not physically prepared to keep going, I will stop and notify you.
“I enjoy what I do, and while I will miss the adrenaline rush of playing, I can’t complain. I’ve been playing on all of these courts for 20 years, fighting for the most important things. I accomplished much above my wildest expectations.
“If that’s the last match here, I’ll be content. I did my best and cannot complain anymore.”
Serbian Djokovic dominated Nadal, giving the 14-time French Open champion his fifth defeat at Roland Garros in 118 encounters.
Nadal was keen to emphasise their respective current positions ahead of the match, with Djokovic, despite dealing with his own problems this season, arriving in Paris having reached the Wimbledon final.
The right knee he had surgery on after a slip at the French Open was still bound up, but Djokovic had no trouble swatting aside Nadal for a set and a half than he had with his first-round opponent Matt Ebden, a doubles specialist who hadn’t played a singles match in two years.
Djokovic was sharper, faster, and more accurate, but a lapse in focus when his position appeared secure allowed Nadal back in, and the Spaniard delighted his fans by winning four games in a row, the last one clinched when he hammered a smash back at his opponent’s feet before passing him.
But Djokovic soon broke serve again, eliciting loud boos for cupping his ear to the pro-Nadal crowd, before sealing the triumph with an ace.
Nadal could not sugarcoat the outcome, adding, “I was not able to put him in difficult circumstances, nor was I able to have enough quality shots or movements.
“He played considerably better than me from the start to the conclusion. I had a reaction, some points. But that wasn’t enough.”
Djokovic, who will next face Germany’s Dominik Koepfer, leads the rivalry 31-29 and hopes to create a few more chapters in his historic rivalry with Rafa.
“I just hope, for the sake of our rivalry and the sport in general, that we’ll get to face each other once or maybe a few times on different surfaces, in different parts of the world, because I feel like it can only benefit the sport,” he told ESPN.
“Each match we play is like a gift to both ourselves and the sport. I wish him the best. He’s clearly one of the most influential characters in our sport, and in sports in general. “I believe the more he plays, the more tennis wins.”