Novak Djokovic gears up for blockbuster clash against 'biggest rival' Rafael Nadal in Paris Olympics 2024 2R
Novak Djokovic will take on Rafael Nadal in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympics. This will be the 60th match between the pair. Djokovic was excited about the battle against his 'biggest rival'.
Djokovic faced Australia's Matthew Ebden in the first round of the Olympics on Saturday, July 27. Ebden, a doubles specialist, was added to the draw as a result of multiple withdrawals on the day of the draw from the singles event.
The Aussie, who had not played a singles match in almost two years, lost to the top seed 0-6, 1-6 in 53 minutes.
Meanwhile, Spain's Nadal faced Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in the first round on Sunday, July 28. There were doubts about the Spaniard's involvement until a few hours before the match as he was displeased with the scheduling.
Nadal was involved in a men's doubles first round partnering Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday night and felt an afternoon match on Sunday could be difficult for his body to cope with.
However, the 38-year-old graced the Court Philippe-Chatrier again on Sunday and put up a good showing to win the match 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
With the win, Nadal set up a blockbuster second-round clash against Djokovic. The Serb took to his Instagram Story to share his excitement for the clash following Nadal's win.
Djokovic even called the Spaniard his 'biggest rival' in a recent interview with TennisTV.
"I can't take anybody else but Nadal as my biggest rival. As long as Nadal is playing, as long as I'm playing Nadal is always my biggest rival," Novak Djokovic said.
"Regardless of the rankings or what's going on the tour. Just because of the history of our rivalry and everything... Nadal and myself go back a long time, so, definitely, he comes in front," he added.
Novak Djokovic will take on Rafael Nadal for the second time at the Olympics
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal faced off at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the semifinal. The Spaniard won 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, and went on to win the gold medal match as well.
Overall, the pair have faced 59 times with the Serb leading the head-to-head 30-29. On clay, Nadal has a big lead of 20-8 over Djokovic.
Moreover, their last match was also in Paris, on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The pair faced off in the quarterfinal of the 2022 French Open and Nadal won the match 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4). The blockbuster second-round clash at the 2024 Paris Olympics is scheduled to be played on Monday, July 29.