"Rafael Nadal is going to try and be there but at the end of the day, it's what the body says": Monica Puig on the Spaniard's Olympic participation

Monica Puig recently spoke about Rafael Nadal's chances of competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, saying that everything depended on his body.

Nadal returned to action after almost a year and reached the Brisbane International quarterfinals with wins over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler. He then suffered a defeat to Jordan Thompson despite having match points. More importantly, the Spaniard suffered a minor muscle tear that led to his withdrawal from the Australian Open.

Nadal sitting out the Melbourne Major was discussed extensively on the Tennis Channel podcast. Monica Puig, who won gold at the 2016 Olympics, was asked for her thoughts about the 22-time Grand Slam winner's chances of participating in the Paris 2024 Olympics, where Roland Garros will host the tennis event.

The Puerto Rican said that while Nadal would do everything to compete in the tournament, it would ultimately depend on how his body responds. She also expressed hope that the 37-year-old has a plan in place for that period.

"I mean, there is no greater joy than representing your country. I think he knows that's something near and dear to his heart. He is going to try everything he can with his team," Monica Puig said.

"He has hundreds of people looking out for him, so he is going to try and be there. But you know, at the end of the day, it's what the body says and you have to listen to that. He is not getting any younger and the body takes more time to recover. So, I just hope that he has a solid plan in place until then," she added.

Nadal's performance in Brisbane resulted in him climbing 251 spots; he is now 451st in the ATP rankings.

---

Rafael Nadal has two Olympic golds to his name

The Spaniard at the Brisbane International 2024

Rafael Nadal has had a pretty successful Olympic career so far, with two gold medals to his name.

The first of these came in the 2008 Beijing Games, where he won the singles event by defeating Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3 in the final. His second gold came in the doubles event in Rio 2016, where Marc Lopez was his partner. The Spanish duo beat the Romanian team of Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the final.

Nadal also came close to winning a medal in the singles event in Rio, as he reached the semifinals. However, he lost to Juan Martin del Potro before being beaten by Kei Nishikori in the bronze medal match.