On August 17th, 2008, exactly 15 years ago to this day, 🇪🇸 @RafaelNadal captured the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. 🏅 Nadal is one of only two men in tennis history, alongside Andre Agassi, with a Career Golden Slam—winning all four majors AND the Olympics in their career:
"A storybook ending": Rafael Nadal encouraged to play Paris Olympic Games by ITF
Tennis NewsTuesday, 31 October 2023 at 21:30
ITF Chief David Haggerty announced the organization's support for Rafael Nadal to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The former world No. 1 has been off the courts throughout 2023 due to a hip injury that required surgery. His last match was at the 2023 Australian Open, where he fell in the second round to Mackenzie McDonald.
Nadal has already announced his plans to return in 2024, and it's expected to be his last season as a professional. One of the significant challenges for the Spanish player would be the Olympic Games in Paris, to be held on the courts of Roland Garros, where Nadal has had the most success, winning 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.
The Spanish player has gold medals in singles from 2008 when he defeated Chilean Fernando González in the final, and in 2016, he secured the gold medal alongside Marc Lopez by defeating the Romanian duo of Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau.
Despite being a two-time Olympic medalist, Nadal's presence in the tournament is not guaranteed, as his long absence may affect his ranking and his participation in the Davis Cup team during the past year, which are part of the requirements for qualification.
Regarding this, David Haggerty, President of the ITF, stated that the organization is fully committed to supporting Nadal's participation in the tournament.
"We know what a champion he is and a medallist a number of times so it certainly could be a storybook ending, so to speak, for him. It would be great. Whether he does or not, will be up to him," he said.
"But we'll do everything we can to encourage him to play, because I think it would be great. Knowing that it's in Paris, at Roland Garros, where he's had such tremendous success would be a great venue for him to be able to compete at."
"I think the main thing for him is just being healthy and feeling he can compete at the level that he wants to, because that's the kind of competitor he is. He wants to be at the top of his game and we wish him the best," Haggerty added.
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