Paris Olympics Day 3: Nadal loses in what is likely his final singles match of storied career
By JENNA FRYER, AP National Writer
PARIS (AP) — On the clay court where he won 14 French Open titles, Rafael Nadal likely bid adieu to Roland Garros on Day 3 of the Paris Olympics.
Nadal was feted Monday by a rowdy crowd as he met Novak Djokovic in the second round of the men’s tennis tournament for a record 60th — and probably final — time.
The Spaniard wouldn’t say if he plans to retire after the Olympics, but his 6-1, 6-4 loss to Djokovic showed just how diminished his game has become at age 38. The chants of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!” began as soon as Nadal walked on the court and even helped him win four consecutive games in the second set, including a forehand winner to break to make it 4-all.
After the defeat, the two-time Olympic champion was weary of being asked about his future. He’s still playing at the Olympics, pairing with Carlos Alcaraz in doubles for Spain, and what comes next he does not know.
“I cannot live every single day with the feeling that it’s going to be, or not going to be, my last match. I come here, I try my best, I play. And when I decide to stop playing, or when I decide to keep going, I will let you know. I don’t know,” Nadal said. “If I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going or physically I am not … ready to keep going, I will stop, and I will let you know.”
Coco cruises
Coco Gauff is making it look easy at the Paris Olympics so far, adding a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Maria Lourdes Carle of Argentina in the second round of singles to her growing collection of lopsided results.
Gauff had more than twice as many unforced errors, 26, as winners, 11. She only put 55% of her first serves in play and wound up with six double-faults and zero aces. And even though it took nearly 1 1/2 hours for the reigning U.S. Open champion and No. 2-ranked Gauff to finish off an opponent who is ranked 85th, has never won a tour-level singles title and owns an 0-2 career record at Grand Slam tournaments, she was satisfied.
“You can’t argue with the scoreline, to be honest,” the 20-year-old American said.
Super swim
Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh claimed her first gold medal with a dominating victory in the 400-meter individual medley. The 17-year-old McIntosh collected her first medal of any color on the opening night of swimming, taking a silver in the 400 freestyle behind Ariarne Titmus — and ahead of Katie Ledecky.
She pushed the pace hard through the first half of the grueling race — the butterfly and backstroke legs — to leave everyone in her wake except American Katie Grimes.
Grimes, who is also swimming the open water event in Paris, held on to claim the silver and the Americans also grabbed the bronze when Emma Weyant touched third.
Another teen rules
David Popovici made the teenagers 2 for 2 on the night when he pulled off a thrilling victory in the men’s 200 freestyle.
The 19-year-old Romanian was among three swimmers who swapped the lead back and forth on the final lap. Popovici mustered everything he had to get to the wall a mere two-hundredths of a second ahead of Britain’s Matthew Richards, with American Luke Hobson just 0.07 back to earn the bronze.
The top four were separated by a mere 0.15 seconds.
Australia wins again
Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus made it a 1-2 finish for Australia in the women’s 200-meter freestyle.
O’Callaghan’s victory denied Titmus her second consecutive gold of these Games. Titmus won the gold on Saturday in the 400-meter freestyle.
Men’s team all-around final
The Japanese men’s gymnastics team claimed Olympic gold with an epic comeback over its top rival.
With China looking poised to claim its first Olympic title in 12 years with one rotation to go, Japan surged ahead to win the men’s team competition after an intense and nail-biting duel.
The Japanese overtook their rivals on the final rotation, after China’s Su Weide fell twice off the horizontal bar. Japan won with a small margin of 0.532 points.
The Americans, meanwhile, earned bronze for their first medal since 2008.
After qualifying in fifth place, the U.S. men ended a 16-year drought to the delight of the dozens of fans waving American flags who chanted “USA! USA!” throughout the evening.
The Americans posted a total of 257.793 points to edge Britain for the bronze.
U.S. women’s water polo loses
The U.S. women’s water polo team was handed a rare loss at the Olympics, falling 13-11 to Bea Ortiz and Spain in a rematch of the final at the Tokyo Games.
The U.S. is going for its fourth consecutive gold medal. No team — men or women — has won four straight water polo titles at the Olympics. It was the program’s second loss at the Olympics since it dropped the 2008 final. It went 5-0-1 in London, 6-0 in Rio de Janeiro and 6-1 in Tokyo.
After its 10-9 loss to Hungary in group play in 2021, the U.S. ripped off four straight wins by a combined score of 63-26. That included a dominant 14-5 victory over Spain in the final.
China dominates diving
China passed the one-time powerhouse United States for the top spot in gold medals in diving when Lian Junjie and Yang Hao breezed to victory in synchronized 10-meter platform. It was the 49th gold medal in China’s history.
China came into the Paris Games favored in all eight events and essentially a sure thing to take down the American record for most golds. The Big Red Machine is now 2 for 2 at these Olympics as it looks to become the first country to sweep all eight events since the program was doubled at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Since that expansion, China has won 40 of 50 golds, including seven of eight at each of the last two Summer Games.
There hasn’t been a diving sweep since the U.S. claimed gold in all four events at the 1952 Helsinki Games.
Canada Soccer appeals penalty
Canada appealed being docked six points by FIFA in a drone-spying scandal at the women’s soccer tournament, and a verdict is expected hours before the team plays its last group-stage game Wednesday.
FIFA punished Olympic defending champion Canada on Saturday — and banned coach Bev Priestman and two assistant coaches for one year — for allegations of using a drone to spy on New Zealand’s practices.
The expected legal move by the Canadian soccer federation and Olympic body was formally registered Monday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a fast-track case.
CAS said it aims to have an appeal hearing Tuesday with its panel of three judges giving a verdict by midday Wednesday. The coaches’ bans are not part of this case.
Canada plays Colombia in Nice on Wednesday night and needs to know where it stands before the game starts.
Triathlon swimming canceled, again
Concerns about the water quality in the Seine River led officials to call off the swimming portion of an Olympic triathlon training session for a second straight day.
Organizers overseeing the event at the Paris Games are optimistic that triathletes will be able to swim in the city’s famed waterway when the competition starts Tuesday.
The sport’s governing body, World Triathlon, its medical team and city officials are banking on sunny weather and higher temperatures to bring levels of E. coli and other bacteria below the necessary limits to stage the swim portion of the race, which also includes biking and running.
World Triathlon made the decision to cancel the swim workout early Monday following a meeting over water quality in the Seine, which is closely linked to the weather. Rain deluged Friday’s opening ceremony and showers persisted Saturday.