Spaniard’s singles run in Paris is over but he remains alive in the men’s doubles competition alongside Carlos Alcaraz
Rafael Nadal will have no complaints if his final singles match at Roland Garros turns out to be his Olympic second-round defeat by great rival Novak Djokovic but his appetite for the fight remains.
The pair met for the 60th time, a record in the men’s game, with many of them titanic battles for the biggest prizes in the sport.
This was not one of those, and it threatened to be the most one-sided match in the history of their rivalry when Djokovic led by a set and 4-0, but Nadal roused himself before eventually going down 6-1 6-4.
It was only a fifth defeat at Roland Garros in 118 matches for 14-time French Open champion Nadal, with Djokovic now responsible for three of them.
The 38-year-old Spaniard, who is still in doubles with Carlos Alcaraz, has played only a handful of tournaments over the past two years because of injury and knows the end is coming, although quite when that is he has not decided.
“I have been suffering a lot of injuries the last two years. So, if I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going, or physically I’m not ready to keep going, I will stop and I will let you know.
“I like what I do and of course I’m going to miss the adrenaline of playing but I cannot complain. I have been playing in all these courts for 20 years, fighting for the most important things. I achieved much more than I dreamed of.
“If that’s the last match here, I’ll be in peace. I did my best and I can’t complain anymore.”
Tennis’ place in the Olympics has often been questioned but there cannot have been a hotter ticket in town, with fans holding up signs hoping to find a way into Court Philippe Chatrier and so many media trying to get into the press box that security were called to intervene.
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