PARIS — The followers’ first standing ovation for Rafael Nadal occurred when he wasn’t even of their presence, merely a picture proven on a video display as he waited in a stadium hallway to stroll out on the court docket used for the Paris Olympics and the French Open, a event he made his area.
They stayed on their ft, some applauding, some elevating their telephones to seize photos of the second when he emerged and stepped on the pink clay so acquainted to him. Chants of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!” rang out at numerous occasions, and loads of red-and-yellow Spanish flags flapped within the stands, as Nadal beat Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 within the first spherical Sunday to arrange a blockbuster showdown towards rival Novak Djokovic on the Summer time Video games.
“His preventing spirit is on the prime, nonetheless,” Fucsovics stated in regards to the 38-year-old Nadal. “He isn’t at his finest degree (of) enjoying. But when he has a superb day, he can beat anyone.”
Nadal made a last-minute determination to stay within the singles bracket, a day after he received in doubles with companion Carlos Alcaraz and stated he wasn’t certain if he would take part in each occasions.
Not solely did Nadal play Sunday, however for stretches, notably within the early going and in crunch time down the stretch, he performed very very like a model of himself everyone seems to be used to seeing: the sprinting, sliding, grunting star who owns 22 Grand Slam trophies in all and received Olympic gold medals for Spain in singles in 2008 and doubles in 2016.
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And the group beloved it.
“It was a pleasure,” Fucsovics stated, “to play towards Rafa.”
There was no solution to know on the outset, in fact, whether or not this is perhaps Nadal’s final singles match at these Olympics … or on this stadium that has meant a lot to his profession (and vice versa) … or, certainly, wherever. He is been fairly coy recently as regards to his retirement, even after saying in 2023 that he figured 2024 can be it for him.
Nadal has handled a sequence of accidents the previous two seasons, together with hip surgical procedure in 2023, and his proper thigh was taped Sunday. He wanted a finger on his proper hand handled by a coach within the third set.
However after going via a morning observe session to check his health, he made the decision to play, about 18 1/2 hours after Nadal and Alcaraz — Spain’s old-and-new pairing of tennis superstars — received the primary match they’ve ever performed collectively as a doubles crew.
Nadal has not made clear whether or not this would be the final occasion of his storied profession, though there’s been loads of hypothesis will probably be.
Within the second spherical, Nadal will face Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia. It is going to be their sixtieth matchup, greater than every other two males have performed towards one another within the Open period, which started in 1968. Djokovic leads the head-to-head sequence 30-29.
Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slam titles make him the one man in tennis historical past with greater than Nadal.
When Nadal and Fucsovics started warming up below a blue sky with a touch of a breeze, there have been shouts of “Ole!” Spectators rose from their seats when Nadal jumped out to a 3-0 lead after simply 13 minutes en path to taking the primary set towards an overmatched Fucsovics, a 32-year-old who’s ranked 83rd.
Nadal didn’t seem like somebody able to be achieved, under no circumstances, notably originally of the match. Within the second recreation, Nadal sprinted, then slid, to ship a stinging cross-court backhand that received a degree and elicited some gasps from the viewers.
That, actually, is what it felt like: an viewers fascinated with viewing, and appreciating, a efficiency by somebody whose oeuvre is so well-known. The chase-every-ball relentlessness. The bullwhip of a lefty forehand with an over-his-head ending pose. The grunts of exertion that punctuate so many racket swings.
Fucsovic’s profession resume is not any match for Nadal’s, naturally. Fucsovic has reached one Grand Slam quarterfinal, at Wimbledon in 2021, and exited within the first spherical of every main event thus far this season.
Nadal, truly, is with no Slam match win in 2024, too. He missed the Australian Open in January due to a harm hip muscle close to the place his operation was, bowed out within the first spherical of the French Open in Might towards eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev, then sat out Wimbledon in July as a result of he needed to keep away from needing to organize to play on the grass courts there earlier than switching again to clay for the Olympics.
After Nadal raced via the opening set, issues slowed down a bit for him. Out of the blue, it was Fucsovics who was dictating baseline exchanges, particularly along with his personal booming forehand. Nadal’s pictures, in the meantime, misplaced a few of their typical verve.
Finally, to nobody’s shock, the muscle reminiscence kicked in for Nadal.
A key sequence got here with Nadal serving whereas down 2-1 within the third set. He fell behind love-40, giving Fucsovics a trio of break factors. However Nadal buckled down, received the following 5 factors – the final with a forehand winner — to carry for 2-all, then received a break himself within the very subsequent recreation for a lead he would by no means relinquish.
On the ensuing changeover, a coach was referred to as to the court docket to use tape to the ring finger on Nadal’s proper hand. He performs as a lefty however makes use of his proper hand to hit his two-fisted backhand.
“I had an opportunity within the third set … however then he performed very stable, very aggressive,” Fucsovics stated.
Nadal wanted to avoid wasting yet one more break level within the following recreation however did, and he led 4-2.
Quickly sufficient, he was smacking one final forehand winner, then elevating each arms with fists clenched. Now will come a more durable check towards Djokovic, one that’s certain to attract a ton of consideration.
