Rafael Nadal brushes off Novak Djokovic Olympics defeat to focus on doubles with Carlos Alcaraz | ATP Tour

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Nadal brushes off Djokovic defeat to focus on doubles with Alcaraz

July 29, 2024

Rafael Nadal has no plans to linger on his defeat to Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympics. He is set to immediately refocus on driving towards a medal in doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.

On Tuesday, ‘Nadalcaraz’ will take on Dutch duo Wesley Koolhof and Tallon Griekspoor aS they attempt to keep alive their dream of winning an inter-generational Olympic medal. “It’s a tough defeat, but I don’t need to change my outlook,” Nadal told Onda Cero. “I came here to play two competitions, and knowing from the beginning that I surely had more options in doubles.

“Today I’m sad, but tomorrow I’m going to get up with all the enthusiasm in the world to play doubles to the fullest.”

On Monday, Nadal looked headed for a blowout defeat to Djokovic, but rallied from 1-6, 0-4 to level the second set at 4-all – and send the Paris crowd into a frenzy – before the Serbian won the final two games of the match to complete a 6-1, 6-4 victory.

“He has been a much better player,” Nadal said about Djokovic, who now leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 31-29. “For an hour it has been hard to digest everything that was happening, with physical exhaustion and the mental side. There has been suffering because the game was blatantly going badly for me. He was stronger in every aspect and he was not giving me anything.

“I don’t have the legs I had 15 years ago either,” Nadal added. “Without ball quality and the legs of 15 years ago you are not going to create problems for the best in history. The analysis is easy: I have not been at my level; he has and the result was costly.”

Nadal, who has spent 209 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Ranking during his career, admitted that his slow start left him too much work to do to haul in his great rival.

“The problem is that it came from very far back,” he said. “The dynamic has changed because I have managed to win four games in a row and I have had a chance. Maybe so many things have happened to my body in recent times that I have lost confidence and the rhythm of the game in general.

“I just have to accept it and play to the death for the doubles.”