Rafael Nadal often gets a ton of crowd support, but the Brazilian fans will not be on his side when he goes up against Thomaz Bellucci at the Rio Olympics on Friday. Roberto Bautista Agut and Juan Martin Del Potro are also aiming for a place in the semifinals.
(3) Rafael Nadal vs. Thomaz Bellucci
Nadal and Bellucci will be going head-to-head for the sixth time in their careers when they clash in the quarterfinals of the Rio Olympics on Friday. All five of their previous encounters have gone Nadal’s way and he is a perfect 14-0 in total sets at Bellucci’s expense. They have faced each other once in Rio de Janeiro, but that came on a clay court when the Spaniard cruised 6-4, 6-1 at last year’s ATP 500-point event. Nadal leads 3-0 on clay (including 2-0 at the French Open) and 2-0 on grass (both at Wimbledon); this marks their first meeting on a hard court.
Despite having not played since Roland Garros, at which he withdrew after round two, Nadal’s bid for a second singles gold medal is off to a roaring start. The No. 3 seed has not dropped a set in victories over Federico Delbonis, Andreas Seppi, and Gilles Simon. Thomaz Bellucci has punched a surprising quarterfinal ticket by taking out Dustin Brown (via retirement), Pablo Cuevas, and David Goffin. The 54th-ranked Brazilian had previously been a disappointing 11-18 for the season and 1-5 in his last six ATP tournament matches, so this result has come completely out of nowhere. Unless Nadal feels ill effects after playing three matches on Thursday, this is where Bellucci’s run will come to an end.
Pick: Nadal in 2
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Juan Martin Del Potro vs. (10) Roberto Bautista Agut
Two days off may have been just what the doctor ordered for Del Potro, who was not on Tuesday’s schedule before rain wiped out play on Wednesday. And it was a well-deserved rest for the 2012 bronze medalist, who upset world No. 1 Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-2 before beating Joao Sousa in three sets less than 24 hours later. As such, Del Potro had enough in the tank to battle back from a set deficit and defeat Taro Daniel 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-2 during third-round action on Thursday afternoon. He is now 16-8 this season, marking a methodical but productive return from yet another wrist surgery.
Up next for Del Potro on Friday is a second career meeting with Bautista Agut, who won their only previous contest 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 at the 2014 Australian Open. The 17th-ranked Spaniard is through to the quarterfinals following defeats of Andrey Kuznetsov (by retirement), Paolo Lorenzi, and Gilles Muller. It’s a much-needed result for Bautista Agut, who started the year on fire only to cool off during the spring and early in the summer. This will be a tough test for Del Potro because he has already endured three tough matches and the rock-solid Bautista Agut will be able to exploit the 2009 U.S. Open champion’s backhand by using his stellar inside-out forehand.
Pick: Bautista Agut in 3
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Thought Marc was ok. Rafa pulled them to Gold. He played well especially under pressure
Rafa says:
“Excited, happy, hard to describe these feelings. We have the Medal of #oro! Big @marclopeztarres ”
https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal/status/764288224969752576
(for B1PR)
Rafa and Lopez taste gold…
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CptBNdwW8AAArsJ.jpg
I love that picture of Rafa and Marc with their medals!
Thanks for posting!
Darren Cahill @darren_cahill 2h2 hours ago
Zero point zero hint of Rafa saving himself physically for singles in ANY doubles match he played. He knows nothing but 100% #inspiration
Josh Meiseles @jmeistennis 2h2 hours ago
Rafa Nadal joins Nicolas Massu as the only men to win Olympic gold in both singles and doubles. #Rio2016
The trophy ceremony:
https://vimeo.com/178688896
They are the champions of the world:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cps6tlaWYAAuIzx.jpg
They are the champions of the world:
http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Rafael+Nadal+Tennis+Olympics+Day+7+gReSTtRof0Cl.jpg