PARIS — No matter the occasion — the familial and familiar French Open, where he built his legend, or the once-in-a-lifetime Olympics on the clay he all but owned — it was hard to imagine Rafael Nadal being muscled and bullied out of Roland Garros. He had played 117 singles matches on these hallowed grounds. He had won 113 of them.
They ought to build a statue of him at the entrance to this place. Oh, wait. They already have.
But on Monday afternoon, in front of an adoring crowd that seemed, collectively, on the verge of tears, here was the 38-year-old Nadal, crumbling. The stakes weren’t what they normally are for the Spaniard at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Neither was Nadal’s form. Down 6-1, 4-0 to old rival Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Olympic men’s tennis tournament, the air hung heavy with sympathy, not celebration.
Advertisement
“Playing against Novak without creating damage to him and without having the legs of 20 years ago,” Nadal said, “it’s almost impossible now.”
End of carouselDjokovic is one of the few players in history who can claim to match or surpass Nadal’s accomplishments. He has 24 Grand Slam titles; Nadal, 22. They have met nine times in major finals. They shared the Olympic stage here. Unlike swimmers or sprinters, they don’t particularly need it and absolutely won’t be defined by it.
The 37-year-old Serb isn’t nearly as beloved on these grounds as Nadal, whose 14 French Open titles are a record. Nadal is from Spain. The French consider him their own, even in the decidedly jingoistic Olympics.
“I always feel like [I’m] playing at home when I play here,” Nadal said. “It’s so special for me.”
A measure of France’s appreciation for Nadal came in Friday’s Opening Ceremonies for the Paris Games, when, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane passed the Olympic torch to Nadal. It could have seemed an acquiescence to a neighboring country. Instead, it read as a poignant invitation from a culture that regards itself as welcoming. The Games are open to all. We embrace others as our own.
Advertisement
On Monday, that warm respect was extended here. From the very first game, the stadium rang with chants of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!”
And then Djokovic began to play. The gap between the two was exposed. It appeared enormous.
“I was not able to put him in difficult positions,” Nadal said. The rout seemed on.
The sight of Nadal all but breaking down — he couldn’t come close to Djokovic’s serve and struggled to hold his own — served as a reminder that the Spaniard has played only sparingly the past two years, hampered by a rash of injuries that included surgery on his hip. Djokovic is still ranked second in the world. Nadal arrived in Paris not only having lost his first-round match in this year’s French Open but ranked 161st.
A lot of clichés play into the Olympic ethos — about competitive spirit, fair play, determination, togetherness. They are clichés only because they repeatedly appear genuinely at each Games. For every doping case that creates or further fosters cynicism, for every brazen cheating scandal — hello, Canadian soccer program and your practice-surveying drones — there are countless instances in which an athlete or a team fights when it might not seem worth the fight anymore.
Advertisement
Nadal did not beat Djokovic on Monday. But he didn’t lay down, too. Physically, he isn’t what he once was. Mentally?
“I just try my best every single time,” he said, “to enjoy a thing I have been enjoying for so much time.”
What an Olympic mindset. When Nadal faced that 4-0 deficit in the second set, he seemed done. He was not. He finally got his first break point in the match’s 13th game. The roar matched the moment. Such achievements — putting himself in position to break an opponent’s serve — once were mundane. This is no longer “once.” Djokovic’s ensuing double fault was greeted with cheers and fist pumps. And when Nadal ended a spectacular rally with a forehand winner to break Djokovic again and pull even at 4-4, the French fans stood in appreciation. The artist could still put the brush to the canvas.
Capture it with a picture. Who knows whether this is his last appearance here? Monday will be a footnote in Nadal’s career. Indeed, when Nadal finally grabbed momentum, Djokovic yanked it right back. He broke Nadal — putting his hand to his ear to mock all the partisans in the seats — then served out the match with a resounding ace that made him a 6-1, 6-4 winner.
Nadal is still alive in the Olympic doubles tournament with Carlos Alcaraz, so any au revoir wasn’t in full Monday. Still, there was a feeling of finality. After he packed his bag and slung it on his shoulder, Nadal walked toward the center of the court, raised both hands to the crowd and waved. He turned and headed to the tunnel without soaking in much more.
Advertisement
“You ask me for that every single day, you know?” Nadal said, not as much annoyed as stating the truth. “ … I cannot live every single day with the feeling that it’s going to be or not going to be my last match.”
But if it’s not here, it’s coming. His first French Open title came in — get this — 2005. His most recent was two years ago.
“Everything has a beginning,” he said. “Everything has an end. But you know, guys, I cannot complain. I achieved much more than what you ever dream. If that’s the last match here or whenever it’s going to be the last match here, I accept in peace.”
That would be easy even if he hadn’t pushed back against Djokovic on Monday. But he did. That matches who Nadal is, sure. But it matches what the Olympics are supposed to be about as well.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZMCxu9GtqminnK66sbXCrGZraGJpfHGDjmtwaKqRm66muIynmJ2ZnGK%2FsLjAp5tmn5Gnv7C%2FjKmYq6GjYrytxcypoJyrXw%3D%3D