Nadal, for whom the Olympics
also marked a return to form
following a wrist injury that had kept
him off the tour since May, had a
tournament to remember too.
The 2008 Beijing gold medallist
had made it his mission to compete
in Rio having missed the chance
to defend his title at London 2012
because of a knee injury, and took
great pride in carrying the
Spanish flag in to the Maracana
Stadium at the Opening
Ceremony, something he said
"will stay in my mind for the rest
of my life."
On court, Nadal's efforts
were rewarded with another
gold medal, this time
alongside
compatriot Marc Lopez after the
pair defeated Florin Mergea and
Horia Tecau 62 36 64 in a high-
quality men's doubles final.
"It was [an] amazing
experience, especially doing that
with one of my best friends, with
Marc, is something unforgettable
for me. For both of us," said the
30-year-old Manacor native,
who became only the second
man to win gold medals in both
singles and doubles since tennis
returned to the Olympics as a
full medal sport in 1988.
Nadal came up just short
of winning another medal in
singles, falling to Kei Nishikori
62 67(1) 63 in the bronze medal
play-off. The latter secured
Japan's first Olympic tennis
medal in 96 years, and their third
in history. It was an apt stage for
Nishikori's success, given that
Brazil is home to the world's largest
Japanese population outside of his
motherland.
The Brazilian crowd had a
little less to shout about after they
were left to mourn the demise of
