"I can surprise him" - Rafael Nadal's Paris Olympics 1R opponent Marton Fucsovics warns Spaniard ahead of opening battle
The draw for the Paris 2024 Olympics was unveiled on Thursday, July 25 and Rafael Nadal will start his campaign against Marton Fucsovics. Ahead of their match, Fucsovics shared his thoughts on facing the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
Nadal recently arrived in Paris and quickly began preparing for the marquee event. The Spaniard was spotted practicing a series of backhands on Court Philippe-Chatrier. He also performed well recently at the Nordea Open in Bastad, reaching the final.
The 38-year-old will be vying for his third Olympic Gold, and en route to doing so, he will face Hungry's Marton Fucsovics in the first round. Ahead of their clash, Fucsovics said that he was unhappy about facing a "tough opponent" like Nadal but remained hopeful that he could surprise the Spaniard.
"Mixed emotions.. not happy because it's a tough opponent, but happy bc I've never played Rafa before., special occasion..could be the last chance..with good play, I can surprise him..trained with Zsombi Piros bc he is lefthanded," Fucsovics told the press.
Tennis at the Summer Games will be played on the clay courts of Roland-Garros.
"This is the most important event in sport" - Rafael Nadal ahead of his campaign in Paris Olympics
In a press conference following the Nordea Open final, Rafael Nadal expressed his willingness to perform at the 2024 Paris Olympics, calling it the "most important" event in sporting history.
"I'm really looking forward to being part of the Olympic team and representing Spain. This is the most important event in sport, I hope I can find the energy I need and do good training," Nadal said ( Via Punto de Break).
Nadal said that if he plays well in the singles competition, he could replicate that in the doubles as well. The Spaniard added that he will train with his doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz.
"I know that if I can play good tennis on an individual level, I'll do well in doubles too, but I have to analyze what happened this week and work hard. I'm convinced that Carlos Alcaraz will be at a great level because he's coming in with confidence. We'll train together this week," Nadal added.
Aside from Nadal and Alcaraz, the likes of Pablo Carreno Busta, Alejandro Davidovich, and Marcel Granollers will represent Spain's men's team in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Tennis at the Olympics will get underway on July 27.