Is this the best conditions Rafael Nadal could have asked for to take on Novak Djokovic in possible last dance at Paris Olympics?
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will face each other in what promises to be a titanic battle in the second round of the Paris Olympics 2024 at Roland Garros on Monday, July 29. The red clay of Paris has traditionally been the favorite hunting ground for the 38-year-old Spaniard, but he is into his twilight years as a player now.
Djokovic is not much younger either and at 37, has a few years left at the top. The Serb is yet to win a title this year and has not yet been able to win the Olympic gold in his glorious career.
Are the settings best suited for Nadal?
Nadal has won 14 French Open titles at the same venue and is the greatest ever player on clay by some distance. The best-of-three format means that he will have to toil less than what he would have to have done at a Grand Slam.
Moreover, he has only played a match apiece in singles and doubles so far and hence, will be relatively fresher for the match against Djokovic. The Serb also had had to deal with a knee-injury in the recent past and might not be at his best either.
Nadal's movement on the court has suffered because of age and injury-issues. Hence, both players should try to make each other move extensively on the court. However, as far as Nadal is concerned, facing Djokovic is a better option than coming up against a hard-hitter ike Alexander Zverev, who beat the Spaniard in the first round of French Open this year.
Nadal has a great record against Djokovic at Roland Garros:
Nadal and Djokovic have met each other 59 times so far on the ATP Tour, with the latter leading 30-29. The pattern has been pretty simple, as far the dominance on different surfaces is concerned for them. Djokovic has dominated Nadal on hard courts, but the latter has had the upper hand on clay.
Nadal leads their head-to-head 20-8 on clay, which is quite a distinct advantage. The rivalry becomes even more skewed if one takes a look at their rivalry at French Open. Nadal has won eight of their 10 matches at Roland Garros so far, but Djokovic remains the only player to have beaten the Spaniard more than once there.
It will be very difficult to predict thr outcome of Monday's match, but one can safely say that Nadal could hardly have asked for better settings for the match.