"Like the good old times" - Novak Djokovic promises 'fireworks' between Rafael Nadal & him in Paris Olympics 'last dance' if 2R materializes
Novak Djokovic has spoken up about potentially playing against Rafael Nadal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Djokovic and Nadal feature in the same half of the men's singles draw in the tennis tournament at this year's edition of the prestigious Games and will face each other in the second round if they win their respective first-round matches.
Djokovic and Nadal's rivalry is the most prolific in men's tennis in the Open Era. The duo have clashed on 59 occasions, with the Serb edging the Spaniard in their head-to-head, 30-29. They have contested nine Grand Slam singles finals, Nadal having won five of them. Their last meeting came in the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open, which the Spaniard won before eventually going on to clinch his record-extending 14th title at Roland Garros.
However, since the beginning of 2023, the rivalry has somewhat waned due to Nadal's persistent struggles with injuries and subsequent rehabilitation. The Spaniard missed almost the entirety of last season after sustaining a hip injury at the 2023 Australian Open. However, after undergoing surgery and returning to fitness, he made his comeback at the start of the ongoing season.
Unfortunately, Nadal picked up a fresh injury at the 2024 Brisbane International, which kept him out for several more months. The Spaniard returned in time for the clay court swing and is set to feature prominently for Spain at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile, in Nadal's glaring absence from the ATP Tour, Djokovic added three more Grand Slam crowns to his long list of titles (2023 Australian Open, 2023 French Open, 2023 US Open), overtaking the Spaniard's Major title haul. Recently, the Serb attended 'The Prelude to the Olympics' party, which was held at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris.
Here, Djokovic was asked about his thoughts on rekindling his rivalry with Nadal at the Olympics. The Serb said that Nadal's drastic drop in ranking has raised the possibility of the two meeting at an early stage in a tournament where they both feature.
"Obviously he (Nadal) hasn't played much. His ranking dropped, so there's always going to be that possibility of me meeting him in an early round, and, there we go," Djokovic said.
The World No. 2 went on to express his hope that he does indeed, get to face Nadal at the 2024 Olympics for "one last dance".
"It's going to be a spectacle definitely if we get to meet, spread some fireworks on the court, like the good old times. I hope we get to meet because it will probably be one last dance for the both of us," Djokovic added.
"We have to wait" - Rafael Nadal's coach Carlos Moya's concerning update on Spaniard's fitness ahead of Paris Olympics 2024; Novak Djokovic's hope may not be realized
Nadal's coach Carlos Moya recently confirmed that a fresh injury concern has cropped up for the two-time Olympic gold medalist. While Moya did not delve too much into the details of the problem, he did reveal that Nadal had skipped training on Thursday, July 25.
Considering the cautious stance taken by Moya, it's likely that Nadal may withdraw from singles competition at the Games and instead focus on his doubles campaign alongside Carlos Alcaraz. If the Spaniard does withdraw, Djokovic's hopes of meeting him at the 2024 Paris Olympics will be dashed.
"It was a setback and we decided that today Rafa would rest and not train to recover. We are going to give ourselves 48 hours, we have to wait," Moya told a Spanish journalist.
Djokovic is set to start his singles campaign at the Games against Matthew Ebden, who made his way into the main draw following Andy Murray's withdrawal. Meanwhile, Nadal's singles campaign is slated to begin against Marton Fucsovics.
The tennis tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics is scheduled to commence on Saturday, July 27, with the order of play set to be revealed the day before.