Olympic moment of the day: The love story between Rafael Nadal and Paris
Rafael Nadal waves after losing his match against Novak Djokovic. Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters Roland Garros, Paris CNN —
It’s a love affair that began almost 20 years ago and the passion clearly hasn’t fizzled out at all.
Paris and Rafael Nadal are a match made in heaven. And for a brief spell in the second set of the Olympic men’s singles tennis tournament’s most anticipated match between the Spaniard and his longtime rival Novak Djokovic, it seemed like it might be enough to spur the 14-time French Open champion to a comeback that seemed impossible just minutes before.
What started out as the most highly-anticipated match of these Olympics quickly threatened to turn into a snoozer. Djokovic wildly outplayed Nadal in the opening set and the beginning of the second, looking unstoppable with a 6-1 first set and going up 4-0 in the second.
The roars from Court Philippe-Chatrier in support of Nadal winners and the chants of “Rafa! Rafa!” had gone from a roar to a plea. Sweat poured from the King of Clay’s brow in between games and he looked no match for the Serb’s power and speed.
But when Nadal took the fifth game of the second set, time seemed to suddenly roll back.
When Djokovic sent the ball into the net, the crowd cheered. Djokovic double faulted in the next game to give Nadal a break point, the crowd roared. And as Nadal took the next two games, Roland Garros exploded in unison as it tried one more time to carry its favorite champion.
Japanese gymnasts celebrate after they won gold in the team competition on Monday, July 29. The Chinese team was in first place heading into the final rotation, but some costly mistakes on the horizontal bar dropped it to second place. The United States won the bronze. Amanda Perobelli/Reuters
Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina reacts after catching a large wave in the third round on July 29. Jerome Brouillet/AFP/Getty Images
From left, Japan’s Saori Miyazaki, the United States’ Kahleah Copper, the United States’ Alyssa Thomas, Japan’s Saki Hayashi and Japan’s Maki Takada watch the ball go through the hoop during their first basketball game in Paris on July 29. Team USA won 102-76 in what was a rematch of the gold-medal game three years ago. The United States has won 56 consecutive Olympic games. Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Mollie O’Callaghan beats fellow Australian Ariarne Titmus to the wall to win the 200-meter freestyle on July 29. O’Callaghan finished in 1:53.27, topping Titmus’ Olympic record from three years ago. Titmus won the silver. Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan reacts after winning her bronze-medal sabre bout on July 29. It’s her country’s first medal of the Paris Olympics. Maye-E Wong/Reuters
Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts while playing Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in a second-round match on July 29. Djokovic defeated his longtime rival in an epic showdown, winning 6-1, 6-4. Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters
Japanese surfer Reo Inaba wipes out during the third round of competition on July 29. Ben Thouard/Pool/AP
Argentina’s Juana Castellaro Morello plays the ball during a field hockey match against South Africa on July 29. Julien de Rosa/AFP/Getty Images
US gymnast Fred Richard competes on the parallel bars during the team final on July 29. Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images
China’s Yu Haicheng competes in trap shooting qualification on July 29. Amr Alfiky/Reuters
Japanese skateboarder Yuto Horigome celebrates with his gold medal after winning the street competition on July 29. Horigome also won the event at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Chinese divers Lian Junjie and Yang Hao compete in the synchronized 10-meter platform event on July 29. The duo recorded the highest score in every round to win the gold medal. Lee Jin-man/AP
The Eiffel Tower overlooks a beach volleyball match on July 29. Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters
Canada’s Krissy Scurfield tackles New Zealand’s Jazmin Felix-Hotham during a rugby sevens match on Sunday, July 28. Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images
Visitors take pictures of the Olympic cauldron after sunset on July 28. Maja Hitij/Getty Images
American swimmer Torri Huske, left, edges teammate Gretchen Walsh as they finish 1-2 in the 100-meter butterfly on July 28. Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Great Britain’s Andy Murray reacts after he and doubles partner Dan Evans came back to defeat Japan’s Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori in a second-round match at the Olympics on July 28. They fought off five match points to win 2-6, 7-6, 11-9. Murray has said he will retire after the Games. Peter Byrne/PA Wire
US forward Trinity Rodman jumps over Germany’s Alexandra Popp during the Americans’ 4-1 victory on July 28. Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images
US fencers Lauren Scruggs, center left, and Lee Kiefer celebrate after facing off in the foil final on July 28. Kiefer overwhelmed Scruggs 15-6 to win the event for the second straight Olympics. Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images
Zambia’s Martha Tembo consoles teammate Barbra Banda after Australia came back from a 5-2 deficit to win 6-5 in their soccer match on July 28. Marc Atkins/Getty Images
US gymnast Simone Biles competes on the balance beam during the Olympic qualification round on July 28. She landed awkwardly while warming up for her floor routine, but she fought through the pain to post an impressive all-around score. Charlie Riedel/AP
Great Britain’s Patrick James Brown swings at Brazil’s Keno Marley Machado during a heavyweight bout on July 28. Machado won 4-1. Peter Cziborra/Reuters
Egyptian fencer Mohamed El-Sayed celebrates after winning the bronze-medal épée bout on July 28. Rob Carr/Getty Images
Slovakia’s Yang Wang competes in table tennis on July 28. Paul Childs/Reuters
The crowd cheers for a lifeguard after he went into the pool to recover the swim cap of US swimmer Emma Weber on July 28. Lifeguards like this are common at swimming competitions, but it still provided a moment of levity in between races. NBC’s commentary crew deemed him “Bob the Cap Catcher.” The lifeguard declined to release his name, a Paris 2024 spokesperson said, so that he could keep the focus on his duties. Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports/Reuters
Fans show their support during a beach volleyball match on July 28. Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
South Sudanese basketball player Carlik Jones drives to the basket during a game against Puerto Rico on July 28. South Sudan claimed a historic victory in its first-ever Olympic men’s game, winning 90-79. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Actor Tom Cruise takes a photo with a fan during the women’s gymnastics qualification round on July 28. Other celebrities watching included Snoop Dogg and Ariana Grande. Mike Blake/Reuters
Australia’s Ariarne Titmus swims the final of the 400-meter freestyle on Saturday, July 27. Titmus won the gold for the second straight Olympics, while Canada’s Summer McIntosh finished second and the United States’ Katie Ledecky finished third. Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images
The sun sets behind the Eiffel Tower during a beach volleyball match on July 27. Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks the ball during a game against Canada on July 27. Canada won 86-79. Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Australia’s Emma McKeon, Meg Harris, Shayna Jack and Mollie O’Callaghan celebrate after winning the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay on July 27. The team set an Olympic record with a time of 3:28:92. Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images
France’s Joan Duru gets into the barrel during the first round of the surfing competition on July 27. The surfing events are taking place in Tahiti, far away from Paris. Ben Thouard/Pool/Getty Images
Spanish tennis players Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal celebrate during a doubles match on July 27. The dream pairing beat Argentina’s Máximo González and Andrés Molteni 7-6, 6-4. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Uzbekistan fans chant together in the stands as they watch their men’s soccer team play Egypt on July 27. Jeremias Gonzalez/AP
Italian fencer Luigi Samele celebrates on the podium after winning a bronze medal in the individual sabre competition on July 27. Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images
Australia’s Jessica Fox competes in kayak single heats on July 27. Yara Nardi/Reuters
Harry Hepworth of Great Britain competes on the rings during qualifying on July 27. Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Swimmers Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong and Caeleb Dressel celebrate on July 27 after winning the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay and claiming the United States’ first gold medal of the Paris Olympics. The result also continued Dressel’s streak of winning gold in every Olympic race in which he’s competed. He won five gold medals in Tokyo. Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Germany’s Lukas Maertens falls back on a lane rope after winning the 400-meter freestyle on July 27. David J. Phillip/AP
Fiji’s Selestino Ravutaumada carries the ball during the rugby sevens final against France on July 27. France won the match for its first gold medal of these Games. Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
French basketball superstar Victor Wembanyama celebrates a Brazil turnover during the teams’ opening game on July 27. Wembanyama had 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists, four steals and three blocks as France won 78-66. Mark J. Terrill/AP
US swimmer Gretchen Walsh, second from right, set a new Olympic record in the 100-meter butterfly during a semifinal race on July 27. She finished in 55.38 seconds. Adam Pretty/Getty Images
China’s Huang Yuting, left, competes in the 10-meter air rifle mixed-team shooting competition with Sheng Lihao on July 27. They won the first gold medal of the Paris Olympics. Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
French fans show their support during a judo event on July 27. Maja Hitij/Getty Images
US divers Sarah Bacon, left, and Kassidy Cook compete in the synchronized 3-meter springboard event on July 27. They earned silver — the United States’ first medal of this year’s Games. The gold went to China’s Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen. Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Japanese fencer Miho Yoshimura, left, competes against Rwanda’s Tufaha Uwihoreye in an épée round-of-64 bout on July 27. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
Canada’s Félix Dolci competes on the high bar during the gymnastics qualification round on July 27. Naomi Baker/Getty Images
Spectators at the Roland Garros Stadium take shelter from the rain as wet weather delays the start of tennis play on July 27. Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images
French judoka Teddy Riner, right, and former French track star Marie-José Pérec watch the Olympic cauldron rise in a hot-air balloon after they lit it at the end of the opening ceremony in Paris on Friday, July 26. The first hot-air balloon flight was performed in France in 1783. Vadim Ghirda/AP
Canadian singer Celine Dion performs Edith Piaf’s “Hymne À L’Amour,” one of the French singer’s most well-known songs, on the Eiffel Tower at the end of the opening ceremony. It was her first performance since her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome. Olympic Broadcasting Services/AP
Volunteers carry flags on the Jena Bridge, which crosses the Seine River in Paris, during the opening ceremony. Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images
The ceremony speeches were held in front of the Eiffel Tower following the Parade of Nations. Francois-Xavier Marit/Pool/Reuters
US flag bearers LeBron James and Coco Gauff travel with other American athletes during the Parade of Nations, which took place on boats in the Seine River. Ashley Landis/Pool/AP
The flag of St. Kitts and Nevis is reflected in the glasses of a spectator during the opening ceremony. Steph Chambers/Getty Images
French athletes wave flags as they travel down the Seine during the Parade of Nations. Franck Fife/Pool/AP
The opening ceremony depicted scenes from the French Revolution. Here, smoke billows near windows at the Conciergerie, the site where Marie Antoinette, the last French queen prior to the revolution, was imprisoned. Bernat Armangue/Pool/AP
Parisians wait inside their apartment to watch the Parade of Nations from a window. Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports/Reuters
This aerial photo shows the Notre Dame cathedral as boats pass by on the Seine. As part of the opening ceremony, the bells of Notre Dame rang for the first time since the iconic cathedral was gutted by fire in 2019. It is 90% restored. Lionel Bonaventure/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Travellers from Sydney wait outside the Gare Montparnasse train station on July 26. Just hours before the opening ceremony, France’s high-speed train lines were targeted by several “malicious” acts, including arson, in what has been described as “coordinated sabotage” to disrupt travel ahead of the Games. Maye-E Wong/Reuters
Rapper Snoop Dogg carries the Olympic torch during the torch relay on July 26. Marcus Brandt/Picture Alliance/Getty Images
American gymnast Simone Biles trains on Thursday, July 25. Biles is looking to regain the individual all-around title she won in the 2016 Olympics. Amanda Perobelli/Reuters
Japan’s Aoba Fujino, second from left, celebrates with teammates after scoring against Spain on July 25. But Spain won the match 2-1. Jeremias Gonzalez/AP
South Korea’s Lim Si-hyeon competes in archery on July 25. She shot a world and Olympic record 694 in the individual ranking round. Kin Cheung/AP
Soccer players from France and the United States line up before the start of their match on Wednesday, July 24. Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters
The moon is seen through the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday, July 23. Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters
Australian surfer Molly Picklum trains in Tahiti on Sunday, July 21. Tahiti, an island in French Polynesia, is hosting the Olympic surfing competition. Ben Thouard/Pool/Reuters
French Minister of Sports and Olympic and Paralympic Games Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, left, and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, center, release doves after a Mass in Paris on July 19. Michel Euler/AP The best photos of the Paris Olympics Prev Next
“I always feel like playing at home when I play here,” Nadal said afterward. “It’s so special for me. I enjoyed the fans, and they gave me the advantage at the moment that things started to change a little bit, so I can’t thank enough all the people here who, you know, made me feel so special.”
It’s a relationship developed over the years and covered in glory. Nadal’s performances on the red Parisian clay are the stuff of legend and he dominated the French Open like no other man in history.
Over those 19 years of playing at this famous stadium, a relationship has been built between the Spaniard and the Paris crowds who pack the stands. On Monday, Djokovic was cheered.
But Nadal? He was loved.
“This, for me, is amazing to have and to have the feeling that I feel very, very well supported and loved. It’s the most important place of my career,” the 22-time grand slam champion said.
In the end, it wasn’t enough. Djokovic took the final two games of the second set and continued his quest in search of his first gold medal: the one honor his extraordinary career lacks.
Nadal will still be playing in the Paris Games, teaming with fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles competition.
The Spanish legend is reluctant to say that he’s done playing at Roland Garros or playing against Djokovic. When asked about retirement after the match, he seemed frustrated with the question.
“Every day? Every day you want me to retire, every day, guys,” Nadal said.
“You know, I am trying to do my best every single day, you know? … I cannot live every single day with the feeling that it’s going to be or not going to be my last match,” Nadal said.
“I come here, I try my best, I play my best, and when I decide to stop playing or when I decide to keep going, I will let you know. I don’t know, I just try my best every single day trying to enjoy a thing that I have been enjoying for so much time.
“I have been suffering a lot of injuries the last two years, so if I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going or physically I’m not enough ready to keep going, I will stop and I will let you know, you know?”
A prolonged standing ovation for the Spaniard marked his exit from the court on Monday. It certainly seems that Paris isn’t ready for its romance with Nadal to fade away just yet.