“Snake-bit” Nadal ready to fight for Olympic chance

Clay court beast Rafael Nadal knows he will have to deal with the law of the jungle if he is to pull up fighting fit for a serious participation at this summer’s Paris Olympics.

But the 14-time Roland Garros champion whose French Open was ended unceremoniously with an historic first-round loss to  Alexander Zverev on Monday, said that while he can’t predict his exact tennis future, he’s ready to fight for an Olympic spot.

One uncertainly: the outcome of his daily fitness struggle.

“You don’t know what to expect… I wake up one day and I find a snake biting me – another day a tiger.

“It’s been a big fight with all the things (injuries over the past two years) that I went through.  But the dynamic is positive the last few weeks, no?

“I felt ready. I think tomorrow I would be ready to play again if I have to,” he said after his 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 defeat at the hands of fourth seed Zverev, a finalist here three years ago.

“I need to prepare myself, clear my ideas and see what’s the new calendar for me to try to be ready for Olympics.

“I can’t say anything today, but my main goal now is to play the Olympics here.

“So I need to prepare myself the proper way to try to arrive here healthy and well-prepared, and then let’s see.”