PARIS : Rafa Nadal likened his struggles with injury in the last 18 months to being in a jungle as the 14-times French Open champion hoped to return to Roland Garros for the Olympic Games after making a premature exit from the Grand Slam on Monday.
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 27, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal leaves the court after losing his first round match against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
"My body has been a jungle for two years. You don't know what to expect. I wake up one day and I find a snake biting me. Another day a tiger," Nadal told a packed press conference following his earliest exit from Roland Garros. Nadal will be eyeing his third gold medal after triumphing in singles in the 2008 Beijing Games and doubles eight years later in Rio."Today in the match, I felt I was able to move myself much better than in the previous tournaments. But I had a very tough opponent in front of me. He played well," Nadal added.
Nadal said it would be unwise to prepare for the grasscourt season that follows with a potentially difficult transition back to clay for the Olympics.
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