Novak Djokovic started confidently and eventually defeated Rafael Nadal, possibly for the last time, in the star matchup in the 2nd round of the Olympics in Paris. The Serbian won 6-1, 6-4.
The match took place on the red clay at Roland-Garros, where Nadal has won 14 Grand Slam titles, but the injury-plagued Spaniard struggled against Djokovic on Monday.
The Serbian took command from the start and dominated in the first set. In the 2nd set, Djokovic also took an early lead, but Nadal did not give up and fought his way back into the set. Nonetheless, Djokovic proved to be too strong in the end.
– I believe we are going to appreciate this match a lot. For our rivalry, but also for the sport itself. There was a lot of attention and interest around our match. Unfortunately for him, he was not at his best, but I did everything I could to make him uncomfortable on the court, Djokovic told Eurosport.
The star matchup between Nadal and Djokovic was their 60th career match. Djokovic now holds 31 wins against Nadal’s 29.
At Roland-Garros, Nadal has won eight times, while Djokovic has now defeated the Spaniard three times on the red clay in Paris.
Casper Ruud is also competing in the singles tournament at the Olympics.
Fought bravely
The 37-year-old Serbian broke his 38-year-old opponent at the first opportunity and quickly jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first set, before Nadal finally won a service game. Djokovic had no problems serving out 6-1.
The 2nd set started like the first, with an immediate break for Djokovic, who surged to 4-0. But Nadal would not give in and won four straight games to thunderous applause from the spectators, particularly when he secured a 4-4 in the second set.
But Djokovic dashed the hopes of both Nadal and the spectators, breaking Nadal one last time before serving out 6-4.
– I am very relieved. Everything seemed to go my way, but I may have gotten a bit too comfortable. You can’t give Nadal any chances, as he will take advantage of them. The crowd got involved, and then it became tough. It was very close, especially in the 2nd set, but I am satisfied with how I played, said Djokovic about the match.
With the victory over Nadal, he secured a spot in the 3rd round of the Olympics. He will face the winner of the match between Germany’s Dominik Koepfer and Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi.
Tough opening match
It was uncertain for a long time whether Nadal would compete in singles at the Olympics. The 38-year-old has struggled with his right thigh, which was once again bandaged during the match against Djokovic.
Nadal struggled through the 1st round, winning 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 against Hungary’s Márton Fucsovics.
Djokovic, on the other hand, had an easy task in the 1st round, defeating doubles specialist Matt Ebden with a score of 6-0, 6-1.
Nadal has previously won both the doubles and singles events at the Olympics. The tennis icon won singles in Beijing 2008 and the doubles with Marc López in Rio de Janeiro eight years later.
Djokovic has only won bronze at the Olympics, which he achieved in 2008 in Beijing. In the semifinals, he was defeated by Nadal. Both at the London 2012 Olympics and in Tokyo 2021, Djokovic ended up with the disappointing fourth place.
The encounter at the Olympics was the first match between Nadal and Djokovic since Roland-Garros in 2022. At that time, Nadal won in four sets, on his way to his 22nd and so far last Grand Slam title. In the final, he defeated Casper Ruud.
Star duo in doubles
Nadal is still competing in the doubles tournament at the Olympics, where he is playing with compatriot and global star Carlos Alcaraz.
The Spanish duo, who have already been nicknamed “NadAlcaraz,” advanced from the 1st round in doubles on Saturday, winning 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 against the Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.
The next challenge for the Spanish star duo is the Dutch pair Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof. That match is not set to occur until Tuesday.
Alcaraz has the opportunity to go further than Nadal in the singles tournament. He is set to play against Griekspoor in the 2nd round later on Monday.
(©NTB)