The Pain of Watching Rafael Nadal at These Olympics

Tuesday morning saw an Olympics landmark for the ages, at least for all the tennis nuts among the audience: the 60th matchup between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, two legends and longtime nemeses facing off on the Olympic stage yet again. Maybe we were watching Nadal for the last time ever, some fans wondered, though Nadal himself scoffed at the prospect at a press conference: “Who said it was last dance?”

The faceoff went about as expected, with the top-ranked, slightly younger Serbian earning a decisive victory over his Spanish rival, making the pair’s total head-to-head record 31–29 in Djokovic’s favor. Still, Nadal played a valiant second set, making Djokovic hustle for his win and keeping the score close enough that the final result, at least for a bit, did not appear a foregone conclusion. And Nadal still had a few more games in Paris left, advancing with fellow Spaniard and burgeoning star Carlos Alcaraz up through the Men’s Doubles quarterfinals on Wednesday … in which they lost to Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek of Team USA, ending Nadal’s competitive chances in Paris 2024 and, likely, his Olympic career. At the very Games where he bore the torch, no less.

was a tearful moment for fans of Rafa, who packed the seats at Stade Roland Garros for their hero’s comeback tour—he’s the French Open record-holder, the all-time king of clay, after all—and spiritedly booed both Djokovic and Nadalcaraz’s formidable doubles opponents. Nadal took a moment, himself, to linger on the court after his doubles downfall and wave at the adoring crowd, in an arena where he’d dominated so many times before, though he just couldn’t pull it off here.

The question that continues to hound Nadal since he bore the torch is whether this, indeed, is his last dance. Following the Djoko loss, Nadal seemed a bit irritated when the Spanish sports show Carrusel Deportivo asked him whether this defeat would be “key in terms of how long you will continue playing,” replying somewhat brusquely in his mother tongue:

Honestly, when I know when I’m going to retire, I’ll tell you. Every day I come here to answer whether it’s my last game or not. I can’t spend every day analyzing whether it could be my last game or not. What can I say? It’s not easy to play in this situation. I try to play, look ahead, and when I’m done here, it will be decided what I really want to do. In some way I’ve earned the right to say it and finish the way I want. When the time comes, I’ll let you know. In the end, I try to do my best. I’ve given myself some time after two difficult years, with many problems, and I’ve given myself that time to see if I’m capable of improving. If I’m not capable, I’ll make decisions. But I can’t live with this every day, answering every day whether I’m going to retire or not. It seems like every day you want to retire me. Give me a little more time.