"First Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros and now this"; "I hate this" - Fans react to Rafael Nadal's Paris Olympics 2024 draw
Rafael Nadal learned his fate for the upcoming fortnight after the men's singles draw for the 2024 Paris Olympics was announced earlier today. In what could be the final event of his illustrious career, the Spaniard found himself pitted on the same side of the draw as Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitispas, and Alexander Zverev.
The 38-year-old, by no stretch of the mile, had a desirable year so far. Injuries and early defeats have marred his season, and he has yet to lift a title. He does, however, head into the French capital on the back of a runner-up finish at the Nordea Open.
Nadal is set to kick off his Olympics campaign against fellow veteran Marton Fuscovics. A mouth-watering second-round clash against Novak Djokovic could become a reality should he win his opener. It will be the 60th meeting between them, with the Serb currently edging it 30-29.
Nadal has been at the receiving end of tricky draws this year, and a vast majority of fans online once again feel that he's been presented a difficult path to the crown. Fans thronged X (formerly Twitter) to let their feelings be known.
This fan cited Nadal's nightmare French Open draw that saw him up against fourth seed Zverev in the opening round, suggesting that the Spaniards 'Paris draws' have been utterly disappointing this year.
"First that zverev R1 at RG and now this... our paris draws s*ck," the fan wrote.
"NO. ONE. TALK. TO. ME. I. HATE. THIS." another wrote.
"Who's fixing these draws for him," another fan questioned.
"Brutal," another fan commented.
"One thing is who is making all these Draws for him.. either they don't want Nadal to move forward or just they want to see Nadal potential at 38," another fan wrote.
While one set of fans lamented his difficult draw, another set predicted that his journey at the Olympics would end very soon. As quickly as round one according to some.
"No I think he could lose in R1 idk," the fan wrote.
"Clay janitor won't pass R2," another fan exclaimed.
"Baldie gonna loose to Fuscovics to avoid Djokovic," a third fan commented.
"All of them is clay merchant. He is out even the best case scenario(R3)," another wrote.
Amongst all the noise, there were a few fans also cheering on the possibility of a Nadal-Djokovic second-round clash.
"Novax vs Nadal one last dance," the fan wrote.
"Rafa vs Djokovic One Final Time," another fan wrote.
Rafael Nadal dubs doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz as 'best player in world right now'
Rafael Nadal hailed compatriot Carlos Alcaraz as 'the best player in the world right now' while speaking to the press ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was full of praise for his junior and was certain that he had a very bright future ahead of him.
"I'm excited to play with the best player in the world right now and the one who will be one of the best in history," he said, while talking to Cadena SER.
Alcaraz responded by saying that it was a dream come true to play alongside Nadal and that it would be a moment etched in his memory forever.
"It is a dream to play with Rafa. It will be a memory that will remain engraved," Alcaraz exclaimed.
Alcaraz enters the French capital on the back of a dominant run at the All England Club that saw him claim his second Wimbledon title. He also picked up his first French Open title last month, along with the Indian Wells crown.
Alcaraz is set to make his Olympics debut while Nadal already has a singles gold from Beijing 2008 and a doubles gold from Rio 2016.
Tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympics will begin on Saturday 27 July with men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, and women’s doubles first-round matches. Play is set to begin at 12 p.m. every day.