Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. HOME News Politics Royal Showbiz & TV Sport Comment Finance Travel Life & Style Football Tennis F1 Boxing UFC Cricket Rugby Golf Racing NFL NBA Other Rafael Nadal returned to the practice courts ahead of the Olympics. 10: 43, Fri, Jul 26, 2024 | UPDATED: 10: 57, Fri, Jul 26, 2024
Rafael Nadal sported strapping as he hit with Carlos Alcaraz ahead of the Olympics (Image: Express Sport)
Rafael Nadal raised new fears as he was spotted wearing a large bandage on his thigh as he returned to the practice courts at Roland Garros ahead of the Olympics.
The Spaniard cancelled his training session with Alexander Zverev on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Thursday and his coach, Carlos Moya, later revealed that Nadal was having a rest day after suffering a setback.
When he came back out to the main stadium on Friday with doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz, he sported strapping.
Nadal also wore the bandage during a doubles practice session on Wednesday. A day later, his coach admitted that he didn’t know whether the 38-year-old would be ready to take to the singles court at the Olympics.
“It was a setback and we decided that today Rafa would rest and not train to recover,” Moya told Radioestadio Noche.
“We are going to give ourselves 48 hours, we have to wait but, at this point, I can’t guarantee that Nadal will be fit to play.
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Rafael Nadal also wore a bandage on his right thigh during Wednesday’s practice session (Image: Getty)
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Moya indicated that Nadal would be ready for the doubles, where he is teaming up with Alcaraz. He added: “The Nadal-Alcaraz double is something to fall in love with.”
Nadal only practised doubles with Alcaraz on Friday as they shared the same side of the court ahead of their first-round match on Saturday night. They have been drawn to face No. 6 seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni from Argentina.
The 14-time French Open champion didn’t look out-of-sorts as he and Alcaraz rallied against fellow Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Pablo Carreno Busto for an hour on Friday morning. Moya was present alongside the Spanish Olympic team to keep an eye on his charge.
Rafael Nadal cancelled a practice session on Thursday (Image: Getty)
While Nadal and Alcaraz look set to go, there are serious doubts over whether the gold medallist in Beijing will be ready for the singles. He faces Marton Fucsovics in the first round and, if he plays, their match will be scheduled for Sunday.
Nadal could face long-time rival Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster second-round singles match but he would need to remain in the draw and get there first. But there are plenty of question marks around the 38-year-old’s physical form. And his epic run to the final in Bastad last week – headlined by a three-hour and 59-minute match – won’t have helped.
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