Was Rafael Nadal hard done by Paris Olympics scheduling leading to Novak Djokovic loss?

Rafael Nadal's participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics is special not just because he's a 14-time champion at the Court Philippe Chatrier, the stadium that also houses a statue built in his honour, but also because it comes as part of the last few events that the Spaniard takes part in before finally saying goodbye to the game.

Nadal has teamed up with compatriot and World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz for the doubles event in Paris and the duo is set to face Tallon Griekspoor-Wesley Koolhof from the Netherlands in the second round. However, given Nadal's participation in both the singles and doubles events, based on the scheduling of the matches that he has played in so far, the Spaniard has expressed his displeasure over the same.

After the aforementioned doubles clash that took place on Saturday, 27th July, almost less than 19 hours later Nadal was scheduled to face Hungary's Martin Fucsovics in his first-round match in the singles category. However, considering the short amount of time between his doubles and singles first-round encounters, owing to injury concerns, Nadal was unsure about even playing the match against Fucsovics on Sunday.

In addition to stating his confusion regarding participating in the singles event and the need to consult his team about the same, Nadal expressed his discontent over the scheduling and said (via NDTV):

"Do I play at 2:00 p.m.? I don't understand the schedule. It seems outrageous to me when I'm playing tomorrow at two o'clock. I don't know, I'll have to go back to the village and talk to the team. I'll make the decision that I think is most appropriate to have a chance of getting results for Spain."

While the Spaniard did end up playing his match against Fucsovics and even managed to get the better of him 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, his second-round encounter against Djokovic was scheduled for the very next day, leaving little time for the 38-year-old to rest and prepare for his 'last dance' with his long-term rival.

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Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic: The Last Dance

Two of the Big Three that form one of the best rivalries of tennis, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic faced each other for the second-round match at the 2024 Paris Olympics for what might be their last ever on-court encounter.

Djokovic who was already leading 30-29 in his face-offs against Nadal, emerged victorious in his 60th encounter against the Spaniard surrounded by an enthusaistic crowd that was beyond excited to witness this iconic clash for the last time. And it was not just the audience that was excited. Referring to the match as the 'last dance,' before the clash, Djokovic too expressed his excitement about playing against his biggest rival and said (via Fox Sports):

“We’ll spread some fireworks on the court, like the good old times. I hope we get to meet, because it will probably be one last dance for both of us."

While Nadal tried his best to give tough competition to Djokovic, the latter was able to get the better of the King of Clay 6-1,6-4 and booked a berth for himself in the third round of the Games.

Rafael Nadal during his second round match against Novak Djokovic at the 2024 Paris Olympics - Getty Images

Following the loss, the 38-year-old who has been struggling with injuries for quite some time now said that he would like to focus on the next event (via ATP Tour):

“I don’t have the legs I had 15 years ago either. Without ball quality and the legs of 15 years ago you are not going to create problems for the best in history. The analysis is easy: I have not been at my level; he has and the result was costly."

"Today I'm sad, but tomorrow I'm going to get up with all the enthusiasm in the world to play doubles to the fullest," he added.

Although Nadal graciously accepted his defeat and acknowledged the physicality of the game, it is hard to ignore the concerns raised by the Spaniard prior to the match and question whether the scheduling impacted his results.

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Did the scheduling impact Nadal's performance?

Prior to the defeat against Djokovic, Nadal criticized the scheduling of matches at the Paris Olympics especially as the former Olympic gold medalist is taking part in both doubles and singles, something that has left him with little time between his matches.

While Nadal's concerns are valid and probably impacted his performance, the time frame within which all the tennis matches have to be conducted at the Olympics results in a tight schedule for the players where they might end up playing different sets of matches within a span of a couple of hours. Therefore, the reason behind the same lies in the fact that six rounds of matches need to be conducted and concluded within a week.

Additionally, as the Spaniard is competing in both the singles and doubles categories, it was rather expected that like his compatriot and doubles partner Carlos Alacaraz, Nadal's matches would take place one after the other. Hence, in this regard, while one might try to empathise with Rafa, it cannot be ignored that the scheduling is simply the outcome of his decision to contest in both categories.