PARIS — With many from around the world giving Rafael Nadal his proverbial flowers at these Summer Olympics, the famed tennis champion tried convincing them Saturday night his career is far from over.
After putting on a strong, energetic and, at times, vintage performance in the opening round of men’s doubles matches at Roland Garros, Nadal hinted that he doesn’t think the book on his longtime rivalry with fellow Grand Slam champ Novak Djokovic is about to close.
Asked if he was ready for a potential “last dance” with Djokovic in singles competition during the Olympics, Nadal had a quick quip.
“Who say that’s last dance?” he said.
Nadal, who is representing Spain at the Olympics, made the comment to English-speaking media in the postmatch mixed zone following the 7-6(4), 6-4 victory he and doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz posted over Argentina’s Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez.
The comment came moments after Nadal had also expressed uncertainty about even playing in Sunday’s opening-round singles competition against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.
According to The Associated Press, Nadal said: “I don’t know if I’m going to play or not.”
He added that he wanted to consult with his team after Saturday’s action “and then make the smartest decision possible to have the best chances to bring [a] medal back home.”
But if Nadal is going to bring back a medal for singles play — let alone face Djokovic for a 60th career time — he will have to play Sunday. A win over Fucsovics would advance Nadal into a second-round match against Djokovic on Monday or Tuesday.
Earlier Saturday, Djokovic, who is representing his native Serbia, said he was excited about their potential final meeting.
“If we get to face each other, it’s going to be possibly the last time we’re going to face each other on a big stage,” Djokovic said. “So I’m sure that people would enjoy it. I’m looking forward to it, and I’ll be ready for that matchup.”
Djokovic leads the all-time head-to-head series, 30-29. If he and Nadal square off in the second round, it would mark their earliest meeting at any main draw at a tour-level event.
The last time they faced each other, Nadal beat Djokovic in four sets in a 2022 French Open quarterfinal that lasted more than four hours. Nadal went on to win that Open to claim his 14th victory on the very clay courts hosting Olympics competition.
“Playing him is like finals, in any tournament,” Djokovic said. “Particularly here, knowing what he has achieved and what he’s done for our sport, but particularly here at Roland Garros, his record speaks for itself.”
In Saturday’s match, Nadal and Alcaraz played supporting yet starring roles. From the moment the pair walked onto the closed-roof courts during introductions, many in the crowd voiced vociferous support for them.
At least twice during breaks in game play, the heavily Spanish crowd erupted in chants of “Rafa! Rafa! Rafa!”
“[It was] an emotional night, an electrifying night, amazing crowd,” Nadal said. “To play with Carlos on this court has been so special. I’m just super happy about the victory. It gives us a chance to keep going.”
Regularly, the pair took moments between games to talk strategy. The veteran Nadal wasn’t always the one leading the discussions, either.
One of multiple non-French athletes to participate in the torch relay portion of Friday night’s Opening Ceremonies, Nadal has long been considered the king of Spanish tennis. Just as he nears the eventual end of his storied career, Alcaraz, 21, has stormed the world stage, appearing to be the heir to Nadal’s throne after winning four majors in the past three years.
In part because of Alcaraz’s rapid ascent, Nadal wanted to play doubles with him in Paris. But does playing with his longtime hero put pressure on Alcaraz?
“No pressure, but nerves,” Alcaraz said. “A lot.”
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Naomi Osaka eliminated by Angelique Kerber in Olympic singles
Associated Press
Jul 27, 2024, 05:37 PM ET
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PARIS — Naomi Osaka smiled as she spoke to reporters after a 7-5, 6-3 first-round loss to Angelique Kerber at the Paris Olympics on Saturday night, disappointed in the result but hopeful she eventually will return to being the once-dominant player who earned four Grand Slam titles and reached No. 1 in the rankings.
“I guess I need to learn how to win again. Maybe that’s something I forgot how to do,” Osaka said. “Maybe I have to keep playing matches against really good players to relearn that.”
She was hoping for a better showing than she had at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago in her native Japan. She was supposed to be one of the big stars and received the honor of lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony.
But Osaka lost in the third round there and said she felt a burden to perform well in front of her home fans. She was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, and the family moved to the United States when Osaka was 3.
“I felt more pressure in Tokyo,” the 26-year-old Osaka said. “I honestly felt like I could have done better today.”
She turned her left leg awkwardly at 4-3 in the second set and said she was given medication to help. But Osaka didn’t win another game against Kerber.
Asked how her leg was feeling afterward, Osaka said: “I don’t know, because I took a painkiller, so when it wears off, I’ll let you know. It felt like I hyperextended [it] a little bit. I felt a pinch while I was playing, but I hope I’m still pretty young, so maybe it won’t be that bad.”
Kerber, a silver medalist in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro, has said she will retire after competing for Germany at these Summer Games.
“To win a match like this against Naomi, who is such a great champion — that means a lot, especially because it’s my last tournament. It shows me that I can still beat the top players,” Kerber said. “I just tried to enjoy every moment. I’m just looking forward to having another dance.”
It was at the 2021 French Open –contested at the same site as the Paris Olympics tennis competition — that Osaka first revealed she had been dealing with anxiety and depression, and began to take a series of mental health breaks. She was among the first prominent athletes to speak publicly about those topics and, along with other Olympians Simone Biles and Michael Phelps, helped make them a part of the national conversation.
Osaka then left the tour while she was pregnant; her daughter was born in July 2023. She returned to Grand Slam action at the Australian Open this January and appeared to be back to her best tennis during the French Open a few months later, when she pushed eventual champion Iga Swiatek to three sets and held a match point.
Clay, though, has never been Osaka’s best surface, mainly because it dulls her best shots — her serve and forehand, lessening the way they affect opponents.
“I feel like my serve could have been a lot better. When I was practicing, I felt the same way,” Osaka said. “But I feel like that’s never an excuse to lose.”
Against Kerber, Osaka’s strokes were off the mark. She finished with 30 unforced errors, nearly three times as many as Kerber’s 11. And Osaka only broke Kerber once while dropping four of her own service games.
The 36-year-old Kerber is not exactly a huge fan of clay, either: It’s the only major tournament she didn’t win.
Kerber took home trophies from the Australian Open and U.S. Open in 2016, and Wimbledon in 2018, defeating Serena Williams in two of those finals. Kerber never has been past the quarterfinals in Paris.
