Nadal chooses Olympic quest with Alcaraz over Djokovic rivalry

New Delhi: Rafael Nadal will likely withdraw from the Olympic singles tournament and abandon a highly anticipated match against Novak Djokovic, due to a thigh injury sustained during training at Roland Garros. Despite being scheduled to face Marton Fucsovics of Hungary on Sunday, with Djokovic potentially awaiting in the next round, Nadal's focus has shifted to doubles after advancing to the second round with Carlos Alcaraz. The 38-year-old's injury may force him to prioritize his doubles campaign and abandon his singles ambitions.

Nadal's Olympic future in doubt

Nadal, an Olympic gold medalist in singles (2008) and doubles (2016), expressed doubt about his upcoming schedule, saying, "I don't know what's going to happen, I don't know if I am going to play tomorrow or not."

"I will talk to my people and make the smartest decision that I can to have the best chance of bringing a medal home, so let's see," Nadal said weighing his options carefully. Despite struggling with injuries throughout his career, Nadal is competing in only his seventh event this year, which has seen his singles ranking drop to 161. However, he and debut doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz showed promise in their first outing together, defeating Argentina's Gonzalez and Molteni 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.

Carlos Alcaraz makes dubut in Olympics

Carlos Alcaraz made a triumphant Olympic debut, dispatching Lebanon's Hady Habib 6-3, 6-1 in just 70 minutes.  "It was an incredible experience, the energy of the crowd was crazy," exclaimed Alcaraz, who recently won the French Open on the same court. 

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic, seeking his first Olympic gold to complement his 24 Grand Slam titles, dominated Australia's Matthew Ebden 6-0, 6-1 in a swift 53 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier. Djokovic revealed he had been eagerly anticipating a potential showdown with Nadal.

Djokovic awaits for last time 

"If we face each other, it's possibly going to be for the last time on the big stage," Djokovic noted. He had a comfortable outing against Matthew Ebden, who secured a spot in the tournament only after several players withdrew due to injury. Ebden, a doubles champion at the Australian Open, struggled to make an impact, losing six service games and managing just seven winners compared to Djokovic's 24. 

Rain interrupts Olympic games

Saturday's schedule was severely impacted by heavy rain, with only 10 matches completed as outdoor court play was rendered impossible. However, under the covered Court Suzanne Lenglen, fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, competing as a neutral, secured a straight-sets win over Rinky Hijikata. Meanwhile, women's world number one Iga Swiatek, fresh from her fourth French Open triumph on the same court last month, fought hard to defeat Irina-Camelia Begu 6-2, 7-5.