Olympic Games: Tennis superstar Nadal shows he is still grounded despite winning 22 Grand Slams with generous act at the Olympic Games

• Rafael Nadal hung out with fellow Olympic stars in Paris 
• Nadal, 38, is competing in tennis for Spain 
• He has had struggles with injuries for some time 

Rafael Nadal proved he is still very much a man of the people after fully embracing life in the Olympic Village.

Nadal, 38, is competing at this year’s Games in Paris after an arduous 18 months which have seen him limited to just six events due to a hip problem, and will partner young superstar Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s doubles.

The Spaniard skipped Wimbledon to make it to the sporting bonanza and was warmly embraced by his fellow athletes after arriving in Paris.

Badminton stars, table tennis players and fellow tennis competitors cosied up to Nadal for selfies, and the ungrudging 22-time Grand Slam winner was more than happy to oblige.

Nadal spent most of his time hanging out with his fellow Spaniards and said he was grateful to make it to Paris after coming through the Swedish Open final unscathed on Sunday.

He lost 6-3, 6-2 to Portugal’s Nuno Borges and gave an honest appraisal of where his fitness is at.

‘The level was so far from what it should be. Probably the energy too. It has been a long week with long matches,’ Nadal told reporters.

‘Even if my body, I don’t have damage, that’s important – but mentally and physically, I’m not used to playing four days in a row and playing long matches.

‘I need to analyse well and find the reason why I played that way, even if the energy wasn’t right … Things like this can happen, and that’s the situation. I don’t have to lie or hide anything.’

The former world number one, who expects to retire at the end of this year, won an Olympic singles gold medal in 2008 and the doubles gold in 2016.

He will team up with French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in the doubles event at Paris, where the Olympic tennis tournament runs from July 27 to Aug. 4.