Rafael Nadal has confirmed he will participate in the singles competition at the Olympic Games following concerns raised about the state of his wrist.
The 30-year-old will play his first competitive match for two months at the Rio games, which will formally start on Friday. Nadal has been absent from the tour due to a damaged tendon to his wrist, forcing him to withdraw during the French Open and skip Wimbledon.
Nadal’s commitment to the event doesn’t come without risk. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the nine-time grand slam champion has admitted that the current situation with his wrist is ‘not ideal.’
“It’s obvious that it’s not the ideal situation, but at the same time, my captain had the confidence today that the best option is to try to have some positive results for our country,” Nadal said.
“The best thing is doing the six hours of practice that the wrist is not worse than yesterday. That’s great news.”
It is expected that Nadal will participate in three disciplines. Besides the singles competition, the Spaniard is also currently scheduled to play in the men’s doubles with Marc Lopez and the mixed doubles with Garbine Muguruza. There is a possibility that Nadal could withdraw from the mixed doubles if things doesn’t go to plan. The deadline to enter the draw is August 9th.
The decision to play in Rio was made after Nadal talked with his coach, Toni Nadal, team captain Conchita Martinez and Dr Angel Cotorro. They jointly agreed that the Spaniard was able to participate without causing any further damage to his wrist.
“His wrist is so much better,” Toni Nadal said, according to Tennis World USA.
“We tried to practise normally. We played with a good level, a good intensity. After Roland Garros we were waiting for five weeks and then we started to play a little bit, to work with the wrist.”
Following the withdrawal of Swiss players Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, Nadal will be seeded third in the singles draw. He is bidding to win his second Olympic medal after winning a gold at the 2008 games.
On Friday, the world No.5 will carry his country’s flag during the official opening ceremony.
VIDEO: Rafael Nadal training with David Ferrer at The Olympic Tennis Centre on Tuesday 2nd August
Rafa Nadal y David Ferrer entrenan a pleno rendimiento en la pista olímpica https://t.co/YswvBZLuOQhttps://t.co/INiKzoKRGV
— Carrusel Deportivo (@carrusel) 2 August 2016
