Rafael Nadal decides to compete in singles at Paris Olympics - ESPN

PARIS — Rafael Nadal decided to play singles at the Paris Olympics, starting by facing Marton Fucsovics of Hungary in the first round on Sunday, Nadal's manager, Benito Perez-Barbadillo, told The Associated Press.

The 38-year-old Nadal has dealt with a series of injuries the past two seasons. His right thigh was taped during his first-round doubles victory with Carlos Alcaraz for Spain on Saturday night. Nadal said after that match he hadn't decided whether to compete in singles.

«Tomorrow, I don't know what's going to happen,» Nadal said Saturday. «I don't know if I'm going to play or not.»

He said then that he wanted to consult with his team before figuring out what to do.

Nadal went through a practice session Sunday morning to test his fitness, then opted to face Fucsovics in Court Philippe Chatrier in the afternoon, Perez-Barbadillo said.

On Saturday night, Nadal and Alcaraz — Spain's old-and-new pairing of tennis superstars — won the first match they've ever played together as a doubles team, eliminating Argentina's Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Nadal has not made clear whether the Summer Games will be the last event of his storied career, although there's been plenty of speculation it will be, given all of his recent health problems, including an operation on his hip last year and his connection to Roland Garros. That's the clay-court facility being used for these Olympics and the site of the annual French Open, where he claimed a record 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.

There is a statue of Nadal just outside the main stadium, and fans gathered there Sunday morning to snap photos of themselves with the steel rendering of the player.

Asked Saturday whether these Olympics could be his final outing