Nadal and Lopez win men’s doubles gold

Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez secured gold in a thrilling tennis doubles match against Romania’s Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau.

Nadal’s second Olympic gold, after a singles win at Beijing 2008, came after he and his compatriot defeated the Romanians 6-2 3-6 6-4 in a gruelling match that lasted just under two and a half hours.

The Spanish pair got off to a strong start, breaking their rivals twice as they eased to a first-set win.

Megea and Tecau hit back to break early in the second set, and they maintained their advantage until they were forced to save two break points when serving for the set. They held on, though, and forced a decider.

The momentum was with the Romanians as the third set began, and they broke serve to establish a 4-3 lead. Nadal and Lopez responded, drawing the match level, and then they increased the pressure by holding serve – Megea and Tecau fought valiantly, but could not stop the eventual Spanish victory.

After the match, Nadal said: “It was an amazing experience, especially doing that with one of my best friends, with Marc, it’s something unforgettable for me, for both of us, I think.

“Win a gold medal today after two months and a half with no practice, with no preparation at all, just working on the gym, is something that is a dream, no? The moment was unbelievable, and we had fun. We fight hard. The only thing that we can say is that we are very, very happy.”

The bronze medal went to the US team of Jack Sock and Steve Johnson, who defeated Canada’s Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil 6-2 6-4.

After his doubles win, Nadal will hope to add to his Olympic medal collection in the single’s event – he is due to face Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals. He already pulled out of the mixed doubles, citing an exhausting Olympic schedule and fatigue.