‘It is totally unnecessary’ – Rafael Nadal calls for major rule change after Olympics defeat to Novak Djokovic
RAFAEL NADAL has slammed an Olympic rule as “unnecessary” after his doubles win yesterday.
Nadal was playing alongside Carlos Alcaraz in the Men’s Doubles when the pair booked their spot in the quarter-finals with a 6-4 7-6 [10-2] win over Dutch duo Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof.
Nadal has his full focus on doubles success now after he was knocked out of the singles event by Novak Djokovic in straight sets on Monday.
And despite things going much better in doubles with Alacaraz, Nadal has still found himself frustrated with the rules.
Instead of heading into a third set when the scores are tied during the double events, players enter a super tie-break to decide the match.
The first-to-10 tie-break proved fruitful for the Spanish dream team yesterday with the pair bouncing back form losing the second set to take the super tie-break 10-2.
But Nadal still made his feeling clear about the super-tiebreak, explaining that he thinks they complicate things on the course.
Speaking after his win, he said: “The thing is that in doubles everything gets complicated very quickly and that was seen in the second set.
“Where being better than them and having more opportunities than the rest, you get to the tiebreak and you lose them.”
He went on to slam the rule as “unnecessary”, arguing that the super tie-break doesn’t help singles players better compete in the doubles the same way it does at Grand Slams on the tour.
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He added: “On a personal level, I think it is totally unnecessary to play an Olympics with a super tie-break.
“In a circuit tournament I think it is understandable because it allows singles players to also compete in doubles.
“But the Games are every four years and they are the most important doubles matches of our lives and this format is a bit of a lottery.”
Nadal and Alcaraz have their next “most important” match of their lives tonight as they take on US doubles team Austin Kracjicek and Rajeev Ram for a place in the semi-finals.
And the games this summer have an added level of importance for Nadal, who is likely playing in his last ever Olympic Games.
But the King of Clay seems confident in his chances of third Olympic gold with reigning Wimbledon champ Alcaraz playing alongside him.
He added: “We played much better than the first day. In general terms, I think we played more in harmony and more solidly throughout and I think we were better than our rivals.
“The atmosphere has been impressive and I’m enjoying every game I play here, with a level of affection and support that’s hard to imagine.
“We’re enjoying it together and it’s a beautiful thing because we know it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”