The 14-time Grand Slam winner, Rafael Nadal confirmed on Tuesday that he will participate in all the three events, Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles at the Rio Olympics after serious concerns over his lingering left wrist injury clouded his participation. He is scheduled to play Doubles with Marc Lopez and Mixed Doubles with Garbine Muguruza.
Not Completely Fit
“After discussing it with my team, I have decided I will play everything that I can. We are here and practice has gone well — more or less.”
The Spaniard admitted that he is still not completely fit, but after giving London 2012 a miss, he doesn’t want to skip the current edition as well.
“It’s obvious that it’s not the ideal situation but at the same time, my captain had the confidence today that the best option is to try to have some positive results for our country.”
"The best thing is doing the six hours of practice that the wrist is not worse than yesterday. That’s great news.”
"I'm excited to be in the Olympics. This [happens] once every four years. You never know what’s going on in the future and I lost London. I’m excited to be here and I am motivated to play.”
He will also have the honor of carrying the Spanish National Flag in the opening ceremony.
Relief for Organisers, Fans
The 2008 gold medalist hasn’t played since he pulled out of his Roland Garros third round match and is short of match practice and preparation. Even after he descended on the Brazilian soil a few days ago to get accustomed to the conditions, his participation was heavily under doubt. Pablo Carreno Busta was named as his replacement in the event of a withdrawal. Even though he has confirmed that he will play all the three events, he might reconsider playing Mixed Doubles, as the sign-up for the event is only on August 9.
His confirmation has come as a huge relief for the organizers and fans alike after Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka withdrew with back injuries. The tennis event at the Olympics is further depleted with the absence of many notable names including Tomas Berdych, Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem, John Isner, Richard Gasquet and the Bryan twins.The women’s draw will be missing the likes of Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, Simona Halep and Belinda Bencic amongst others.