PARIS — Spain’s Rafael Nadal made a triumphant return to the city on Sunday to blast his way into the second round of the Olympic tennis tournament and set up a blockbuster clash with nemesis Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
That the Nadal-Djokovic clash will not determine gold was the only slip in the Olympic script as the Spaniard found a second wind on the big stage at Roland Garros, where he built his legend, to beat Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
As Nadal fired a forehand winner on his third match point, the crowd roared and stood as one to hail the Spaniard, who has thrilled them for two decades. The 38-year-old has won 14 French Open titles on the clay courts at Roland Garros.
For sure there have been better performances from Nadal on this court, but few more warmly welcomed.
In the women’s draw, Chinese sixth seed Qinwen Zheng shut out 2012 French Open runner-up Sara Errani of Italy 6-0 6-0 to advance.
Greece’s Maria Sakkari also wasted no time dispatching Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, winning 6-0, 6-1.
But the day belonged to Nadal, as the 2008 Olympic champion kept alive dreams of a golden sunset to his glorious career.
Such was the atmosphere in Nadal’s professional backyard, it seemed not beyond the realms of possibility that even members of Fucsovics’ household may have been rooting for the Spaniard.
The years have not diminished Parisians’ love for the man who first stormed the French capital 19 years ago, before maintaining an unprecedented stranglehold on Court Phillippe Chatrier for the better part of two decades.
Nearly two-thirds of his 22 Grand Slam titles came at Roland Garros during that period as Nadal established himself as the undisputed king of clay.
The long hair is long gone but the slingshot forehand is as potent as ever, and the Spaniard wielded it with terrifying efficiency to wrap up the first set before Fucsovics could really settle.
It was bad enough that the Hungarian was fighting a man who had won 112 of his previous 116 matches at Roland Garros, but he was also fighting a nostalgic center-court crowd and, seemingly, destiny.
Some brutal baseline bashing saw Fucsovics haul himself back into the contest as Nadal’s range faltered, but the Spaniard broke in the fifth game of the third and final set, before sprinting to the finish.
Earlier, ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova recovered from a slow start to grind her way past Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo 4-6, 6-0, 7-6 (3).
“It feels great because I didn’t really play well here (before today),” said the Czech, who had not won a singles match at Roland Garros since winning the French Open in 2021.
Men’s sixth seed Casper Ruud swept aside Japan’s Daniel Taro 7-5, 6-1 while another Japanese man, Kei Nishikori, was ousted by Britain’s up-and-coming Jack Draper 6-1, 6-4.
“You’re playing for something more than just yourself here,” Ruud, of Norway, said.
–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media
