Rafael Nadal gets past Marton Fucsovics in a close 3-setter to set up clash against Novak Djokovic in R2 at Paris Olympics

Nadal trails Djokovic 30-29 in the head-to-head.

Rafael Nadal gets past Marton Fucsovics in a close 3-setter to set up clash against Novak Djokovic in R2 at Paris Olympics

Rafael Nadal (Via Imago)

Rafael Nadal won his first-round singles match against Marton Fucsovics at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He worked hard to deny the Hungarian a comeback and sealed the win in three sets. 

A couple of days ago, Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya revealed that the Spaniard felt a bit of discomfort in his right knee. After missing practice, he was soon spotted with a band on his thigh. His participation in the singles was unsure until he stepped onto the court as he stepped onto the court alongside Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s doubles. 

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Having won the match on Saturday (July 27), Nadal decided not to withdraw from the singles and took to the court to face Fucsovics. He made a great start to the match and clinched the first set with relative ease. However, the match was far from over as the Hungarian slowly fought back. 

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He raised his game in the second set and took the contest to a decider. Nadal won a timely break in the third set to seal the match 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. It was a remarkable victory for the 38-year-old who showed raw emotions while executing his iconic celebration after the win. 

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Struggling Rafael Nadal sets 60th career meet with Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal, one of the most iconic players of the sport, displayed some great tennis in his first-round match against Marton Fucsovics. He fought hard, showed resilience, and sealed the win to progress to the second round. 

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Via Imago)

Nadal is now set to take on his long-time rival Novak Djokovic in what will be their 60th head-to-head encounter. Currently, the Serbian leads 30-29 in the head-to-head. They have not met since the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open, where Nadal won en route to clinching the title.

It will be the first time in 15 years that Nadal and Djokovic will face each other before the quarterfinals of a tournament. The last time they met before the final eight of a tournament (excluding round-robin meetings) was at the 2009 Davis Cup.

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