Rafael Nadal wins in Olympic singles and will play rival Novak Djokovic next

Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France on Saturday. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

Rafael Nadal made a last-minute decision to play singles at the Paris Olympics on Sunday and won his first-round match against Marton Fucsovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to set up a blockbuster showdown against rival Novak Djokovic.

Nadal was greeted by a standing ovation from spectators, many of whom used cameras on their phones to capture the moment when he strode into Court Philippe Chatrier — the same stadium where he has captured his record 14 French Open titles.

There is a statue of Nadal outside the arena, and fans gathered around the steel structure Sunday morning, when it was still unclear whether he would be competing later.

Not only did the 38-year-old Spaniard play, but for stretches, particularly in the early going and in crunch time down the stretch, he played very much like a version of himself everyone is used to seeing: the sprinting, sliding, grunting star who owns 22 Grand Slam trophies in all and won Olympic gold medals for Spain in singles in 2008 and doubles in 2016.

And the crowd loved it, regaling him with clap-accompanied chants of his nickname, “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!”

AP