Novak Djokovic speaks out on Rafael Nadal as rival suffers ‘injury setback’ at Olympics | Tennis | Sport

Novak Djokovic has expressed his desire to face Rafael Nadal at the Olympics despite the Spaniard reportedly suffering a late injury setback. It was reported on Thursday that Nadal had cancelled a practice session at Roland Garros due to a thigh problem, sparking fears that he could withdraw from the Games.

The 38-year-old was also spotted with the upper part of his leg bandaged a day before the opening ceremony, according to Metro. It came just hours after the draw for the men’s singles event threw up a potential second-round tie between Djokovic and Nadal.

Speaking about the possibility of facing Nadal, Djokovic promised ‘fireworks’ and said it would be like ‘the good old times’ to go up against his rival for what could be the final time.

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“Obviously he hasn’t played much,” said the Serb. “His ranking dropped, so there’s always going to be that possibility of me meeting him in an early round and there we go. It’s going to be a spectacle, definitely, if we get to meet.

“[We will] spread some fireworks on the court, like the good old times. I hope we get to meet because it will probably be one last dance for the both of us.”

Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya admitted on Thursday that a fresh injury concern had cropped up on the eve of the Games. He chose not to give a detailed explanation but confirmed reports that Nadal had skipped a training session, with the tennis events due to begin on Saturday.

“It was a setback and we decided that today Rafa would rest and not train to recover,” said Moya. “We are going to give ourselves 48 hours. We have to wait.”

Nadal has been drawn against Hady Habib of Lebanon in the first round of the Olympic men’s singles competition. He is also expected to play men’s doubles with reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz and recently spoke of his excitement at the all-star partnership.

“It is not just about getting along, but about playing well in doubles,” said Nadal. “He has not played for a long time and I have not played for two days last week. We have to automate the movements.

“We started slower, we have to understand where to return, where to choose the right shot because the spaces are smaller. We are feeling better every time. We will not have that from the start, but we are very excited and totally focused.”