PARIS (AP) — The first standing ovation from fans for Raphael Nadal happened when he was not even in their presence, just an image shown on a video screen as he waited in a stadium corridor to go out onto the pitch used for the Paris Olympic Games and the French Open, a tournament he has made his own.
They stood, some applauding, others holding up their phones to capture footage of the moment he stepped out onto the familiar red clay. Chants of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!” rang out repeatedly, and red and yellow Spanish flags flew in the stands as Nadal beat Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round on Sunday to set up a blockbuster showdown with rival Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon Grand Slam. Summer games.
“It’s always very special to play against Novak, right? No doubt about that. But the difference is that we usually play in the final or semi-final. This is a second round,” Nadal, 38, said with a laugh.
Monday afternoon’s match, scheduled to be the second of the day on Court Philippe Chatrier, will be the 60th meeting between these two greats, more than any other men have faced each other in the sport’s Open era, which began in 1968. Djokovic, a 37-year-old Serbian, leads the head-to-head series 30-29, and his 24 Grand Slam titles making him the only man in tennis history to have more than 22 points than Nadal.
Djokovic underwent knee surgery in June after tearing his meniscus at the French Open in early June, but recovered quickly — and well — enough to reach the Wimbledon final two weeks ago before losing to Carlos Alcaraz. Nadal, meanwhile, has dealt with a series of injuries over the past two seasons, including hip surgery in 2023, and his right thigh was taped on Sunday. He had to have a trainer treat a finger on his right hand during the third set against Fucsovics.
“Every match I played against Novak, almost every match, I came in a different situation than I am in today. That makes the match more difficult for me and more unpredictable,” Nadal said. “But I still have hope, I still believe and I’m going to do my best.”
Nadal made a last-minute decision to stay in the singles category, a day after winning the doubles with his partner Alcaraz and said he was unsure whether he would participate in either event.
“It’s always amazing to see them play each other,” said Stan Wawrinka, whose three Grand Slam titles have come in finals against either Nadal or Djokovic. “Two legends of the sport. It’s going to be special, for sure.”
Not only did Nadal play Sunday, but for periods, especially early in the match and in crucial moments toward the end, he played like a version of himself everyone is used to seeing: the sprinting, sliding, grunting star who owns 22 Grand Slam trophies in total and won Olympic gold medals for Spain in singles in 2008 and doubles in 2016.
And the crowd loved it.
“His fighting spirit is still on top,” Fucsovics said. “He’s not at his best. But if he has a good day, he can beat anyone.”
There was, of course, no way of knowing at the outset whether this would be Nadal’s final singles match at these Olympics… or in this stadium that has meant so much to his career (and vice versa)… or, indeed, anywhere. He has been rather evasive of late on the subject of retirement, even after saying in 2023 that he thought 2024 would be his last date.
“Of course, I know it might be the last time I play here. Maybe not,” Nadal said with a shrug. “I can’t confirm it because I don’t know.”
After taking part in a morning training session to test his fitness, he decided to play, some 18 and a half hours after Nadal and Alcaraz – the old and new pair of Spanish tennis superstars – won the first match they played together in doubles.
As Nadal and Fucsovics began warming up under blue skies with a hint of wind, shouts of “Ole!” rang out. The crowd rose from their seats as Nadal took a 3-0 lead after just 13 minutes of play, en route to a first-set victory over the 32-year-old Fucsovics, ranked 83rd.
Nadal said he felt loved by the fans.
And he didn’t look like he was ready to finish, not at all, especially early in the match. In the second game, Nadal sprinted, then slid, to deliver a stinging backhand crosscourt that won a point and drew gasps from the crowd.
That’s really what I felt: an audience mesmerized by the performance of a player whose work is so famous. The relentless pursuit of each ball. The left-handed forehand with a finishing pose above his head. The grunts of effort that punctuate so many racket strokes.
Fucsovic’s track record is obviously not on par with Nadal’s. Fucsovic has reached one Grand Slam quarterfinal, at Wimbledon in 2021, and has been eliminated in the first round of every major tournament so far this season.
In fact, Nadal hasn’t won a Grand Slam match in 2024 either. He missed the Australian Open in January because of a hip injury near the site of his surgery, lost in the first round of the French Open in May to eventual finalist Alexander Zverev, then skipped Wimbledon in July because he wanted to avoid having to prepare to play on grass before returning to clay for the Olympics.
After dominating the first set, Nadal saw his pace slow down a bit. Suddenly, it was Fucsovics who was dictating the rallies from the baseline, especially with his powerful forehand.
Eventually, unsurprisingly, Nadal’s muscle memory took over. Soon, he hit one last forehand winner, then raised both arms, his fists clenched.
The task will now be more difficult against Djokovic, a task that is sure to attract a lot of attention.
“It was a good test,” Nadal said of his two-and-a-half-hour win over Fucsovics. “And the good news is that I was able to play at a good level for a while. That always gives hope.”
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AP sports writer Andrew Dampf contributed to this report.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games