Nadal Suffers Major Setback And Cancels Practices Ahead Of 2024 Paris Olympics
Rafael Nadal, at 38 years old, has faced several setbacks in his attempts to return to tennis this year, potentially jeopardizing his participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics. His comeback efforts began in Australia, where he sustained an injury after a few matches. Another attempt in March resulted in a similar outcome, causing him to…
Rafael Nadal, at 38 years old, has faced several setbacks in his attempts to return to tennis this year, potentially jeopardizing his participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics. His comeback efforts began in Australia, where he sustained an injury after a few matches. Another attempt in March resulted in a similar outcome, causing him to miss more time.
Nadal’s return to the clay courts proved more fruitful. He avoided further injuries initially but did not perform at his best early on. After the French Open, he took a break to practice before returning to the 2024 Bastad Open. There, he reached the final for the first time since the 2022 Roland Garros.
Nadal used the Bastad Open to fine-tune his game ahead of the Olympics, treating the ATP 250 tournament in Sweden with the same importance as any other event. Following the tournament, he traveled to Paris to prepare for the Olympic Games, practicing alone for singles and with Carlos Alcaraz for doubles, exciting many tennis fans.
However, recent reports from Paris indicate that Nadal experienced a setback in practice, potentially affecting his participation in the Olympics. His coach, Carlos Moya, confirmed the issue, which seems to be a thigh or hamstring problem. The injury led Nadal to miss two scheduled practices on Thursday, with Moya explaining that they decided to rest him to prevent worsening the acute problem.
Moya stated, “I can’t assure you Nadal will play. Today it was decided to rest to give him more time to recover from the setback that occurred yesterday. Let’s see if he can be ready tomorrow. The most responsible thing right now with an event of this magnitude is not to force it.”
The exact nature of Nadal’s injury remains unclear, but it is likely he underwent tests to determine if something was torn or strained. Fans will have to wait to see if Nadal can compete. If he is unable to play, particularly in singles, it would be a significant disappointment, as this is expected to be his final Olympics.
Nadal’s Olympic campaign is set to start on Saturday with the doubles competition, partnering with Alcaraz against the sixth-seeded Argentine duo Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.
