The holder of 22 Grand Slam titles Rafael Nadal described as "barbaric" the program for the tennis tournament prepared by the organizers of the Olympic Games in Paris.
The 38-year-old Spaniard began his participation on the courts of "Roland Garros" with a win in the doubles tournament. He and his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz prevailed 7:6(4), 6:4 over the Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, placed at number 6 in the scheme. The match ended around 10pm local time, leaving just 16 hours for Nadal until his first match in the singles tournament.
"Glue King" will begin his participation in the singles tournament with a match against the Hungarian Marton Fuchovic, which is scheduled for 14:00 (15:00 Bulgarian time) today.
"I don't understand who makes this program. It's crazy, it's barbaric,'' said Nadal, who has struggled with almost constant physical problems for the past two years.
However, against Gonzalez and Molteni, he looked excellent, and at many moments of the match was definitely the best player on the court, despite the presence of Alcaraz, who in the last two months won the "Roland Garros" and "Wimbledon".
After the match, Nadal and Alcaraz met the princess of Asturias, 18-year-old Leonor, and her sister, 17-year-old Infanta Sofia. Leonor and Sofia, who are first and second in line to the Spanish throne, are among the official guests of the Olympic Games in Paris.