Rafael Nadal wasn’t happy with conditions at the tennis in Rio

RAFAEL Nadal was left fuming after his first round match at the Olympics when he had to battle more than just his opponent.

Nadal was not impressed.

RAFAEL Nadal missed out on Wimbledon, but he wasn’t going to miss out on going to the Olympics.

He’s shrugged off a wrist injury in time to represent Spain in Rio — he even carried the flag at the Opening Ceremony — but not everything has thrilled him in his return to the tennis court.

He beat Argentina’s Federico Delbonis 6-2 6-1 in the first round at the Olympic Tennis Centre on Monday (AEST), but the win wasn’t as comfortable as the scoreline suggests. During the match Nadal complained to the chair umpire, saying surrounding signage and lighting made it difficult to see the ball.

“There is a sign, where they show the results, that’s too centred. When someone hits the ball from that part of the court, you completely lose sight of the ball,” he said.

“That shiny blue behind the player makes you unable to see the ball. Speaking clearly, that was badly planned.

“I couldn’t hit an open serve because I couldn’t see the ball coming. I lost sight of it. You can’t play like that. It’s not a matter of the facility being better or worse, but it’s something that directly affects the game.

“The screen was in the middle of the arena and when my opponent hit the ball in this region, I couldn’t see it.

“It’s something that needs to be fixed. You can’t play losing track of the ball. You can’t play like that.

“The low intensity light is a bad idea. The International Tennis Federation should forget it.”

Rafael Nadal won despite his problems.

Yesterday it was Aussie Olympic chiefs and spectators complaining about the poor organisation at Rio’s Olympic venues, but clearly the athletes are having a hard time too. Aussie rower and gold medal favourite Kim Brennan blasted organisers for even allowing her event to go ahead in dangerous conditions — her race was ruined when she almost sunk.

Regardless of Nadal’s complaints, he’s still happy to be in Rio at all. After pulling out of the French Open before the third round because of problems with the tendon in his wrist, he said he still hadn’t recovered but was determined to appear at the Games.

“If this was not the Olympic Games I would not be here competing because I need to have more rehab. It’s only one chance every four years at an Olympic Games and it is something unforgettable,” Nadal said.

“I missed the last one in London (2012) so I don’t want to miss this one. I’m enjoying (it) a lot and I’m happy. Today was a great feeling on court.

“It was a very special feeling. It was a great moment for me to be back on court, especially in an Olympic Games — it’s a different feeling than a normal competition.”

Nadal won singles gold in Beijing in 2008, and will be hoping to triple that haul this time around. Despite not being 100 per cent healthy, the 14-time major winner is also playing doubles with Marc Lopez and mixed doubles with this year’s French Open champion Garbine Muguruza.

But while his campaign got off to the perfect start, the Williams sisters suffered a shock first round exit at the hands of Czech pairing Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova, who won in straight sets 6-3 6-4.

Serena and Venus love the Olympics like no one else — they’ve claimed gold medals in the doubles at the past three instalments of the Games — but were unable to even come close to repeating the dose in Brazil.

Venus & Serena lose for the 1st time ever playing together at the Olympics. Out in the 1st round #Rio2016 to Strycova-Safarova 6-3, 6-4

— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) August 7, 2016

Venus & Serena lose for the 1st time ever playing together at the Olympics. Out in the 1st round #Rio2016 to Strycova-Safarova 6-3, 6-4

— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) August 7, 2016

The loss comes the day after Venus — struggling with a virus and stomach complaint — was knocked out in the singles.