It was a very good day for Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who – alongside compatriot Marc Lopez – won gold in men’s doubles. They defeated the Romanian team of Mergea/Tecau in three sets, 6-2, 6-2.
It began in a surreal manner, with a bat flying around the court. After an official covered the animal with a towel, play started.
With wild plays that saw them hit shots far off the the court and high into the air, the Spanish duo took the first set by a decisive 6-2 margin. But roles reversed during the second set, which saw the Romanian team take the set 6-3. All four players hit crazy shots back-and-forth for long rallies during the third set, which the Spanish team took 6-4.
The win marks Nadal’s second Olympic gold medal, following a singles victory at the Beijing 2008 Games. In that match, the World No. 5 defeated Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez.
What’s more, Nadal edged out Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci in his singles quarterfinal match earlier on Friday. Should he win two more matches in the category, he’ll earn an unprecedented second singles gold.