"No rest for Rafael Nadal, how perfect for Novak Djokovic";"Ridiculous, ITF shame on you" - Fans bemoan Spaniard's 'unfair' Paris Olympics schedule

Rafael Nadal is set to take on Novak Djokovic in a highly anticipated second-round clash at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, the enthusiasm among tennis fans has been dampened by the timing of the blockbuster matchup, with many of them complaining that the schedule is unfair to the Spaniard.

Despite casting doubt on his singles participation, Nadal delivered a commanding performance in his opening match against Hungary's Marton Fucsovics on Sunday, July 28. The 22-time Grand Slam champion overcame a setback in the second set to prevail with an impressive 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory.

With his win, the Spaniard set the stage for his 60th career meeting with arch-rival Novak Djokovic, giving himself the opportunity to level their head-to-head record, which the Serb currently leads 30-29.

Rafael Nadal will not get a day of rest after his hard-fought win over Fucsovics, as he is slated to face Djokovic in the day session on Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland Garros on Monday, following Iga Swiatek and Diane Parry's clash.

Given that the Spaniard has already raised his complaints regarding the "outrageous" scheduling, tennis fans didn't take kindly to the early time slot for the clash, with one fan even alleging that it was "rigged" to benefit the Serb.

"No day of rest for Rafa, how perfect for Djoko," one fan commented.

"They're really pushing Nadal to his limits with this schedule," another fan chimed in.

"This schedule is so rigged for Djoko, Rafa plays today, no day off tomorrow and not even an evening match for more rest," said another.

One fan lashed out at the ITF for not allowing the 22-time Grand Slam champion sufficient recovery time, while another rued the "unfair" schedule.

"Again rafa didn't even get 24 hours to recover ridiculous seriously @ITFTennis Shame on you," a fan posted.

"It feels unfair really but what else to expect atleast it's a day match," another fan wrote.

Although fans were worried about the Spaniard potentially having to play his doubles match with Carlos Alcaraz on the same day, they can now breathe a sigh of relief since the duo isn't scheduled to take the court on Monday.

Nevertheless, fans pushed back against the claim that the 38-year-old is the "establishment favorite" by highlighting his unfavorable schedule.

"Singles and doubles on the same day? Less than 24 hours after today's match, and Rafa is establishment favourite, hilarious," one fan remarked.

"No rest time for Nadal, hopefully doubles match is played on tuesday. Otherwise it feels like we can hear 'Hola a todos,'" another fan chimed in.

"Establishment is with Nole, no rest for Rafa," said yet another.

"Novak Djokovic is the clear favorite" - Rafael Nadal makes honest admission ahead of Paris Olympics 2R clash

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (Source: Getty)

Speaking to the media after his win over Marton Fucsovics, Rafael Nadal expressed his excitement regarding the opportunity to face his arch-rival Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros.

However, the Spaniard tempered expectations about his performance by highlighting the vast disparity in their levels of competitiveness, labeling Djokovic the "clear favorite" to win the match.

"Of course it's beautiful to play against one of the two biggest rivals that I had in my career, especially on this court. But situations are completely different for him, for me," he said.

"He's being very competitive. I was not being very competitive for the last two years, so in that case, I think probably he is the clear favourite," he added.

If Nadal triumphs over the Serb, he will take on the winner of the match between Italy's Matteo Arnaldi and Germany's Dominik Koepfer in the third round as he continues his quest for his second Olympic singles gold.