PARIS — The 60th and perhaps final head-to-head meeting between the two tennis greats took place in the second round of the Paris Olympics on Monday. Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4 after dominating the match from the outset.
Ten of the first eleven games were won by Djokovic, while Nadal was nowhere like the accomplished and tireless version of himself that captured a record 14 French Open titles on the same red clay of Roland Garros, the site of this summer’s Summer Games. Rather, Nadal appeared weakened, flaunting every inch of his 38 years of age, and appearing as like he could be prepared to call it quits after playing little at all over the previous two seasons due to a number of ailments, including hip surgery.
Then all of a sudden, no one, least of all Djokovic, thought it too remarkable as the unstoppable Nadal began to strive to make this match competitive. In the second set, Nadal won four games in a row, including a forehand winner that broke the tie at four all. When he lifted his left fist, the crowded Court Philippe Chatrier audience erupted in cheers, calling out, “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!”
And that’s when Serbian Djokovic, 37, took back the initiative. He walked to the sidelines, seemingly to mock Nadal’s followers, and then broke right back, pointing to his left ear. Following the match, Djokovic served out the victory and hugged Nadal at the net.
No two players have played each other more often in the professional period. Djokovic and Rafael Nadal hold the highest men’s totals in the sport’s more than 100-year history, with 24 and 22 Grand Slam victories respectively. Both have been ranked No. 1. They, along with Roger Federer, who retired with 20 Slam trophies, make up two thirds of the men’s tennis “Big Three.” The group saw unheard-of popularity and sparked a never-ending discussion about who was the “GOAT”—the “Greatest of All Time.”
However, fans and Djokovic are used to seeing each other in the latter stages of competitions, which includes nine major finals. not just the second iteration. This time, it happened so early since Nadal’s rating is outside the top 150 due to a lack of matches, while Djokovic is the top seed at the Summer Games.
Nadal’s Monday struggles were partially brought on by his lack of fitness. He’s got tape on his right thigh for these Olympics, where he’s representing Spain in doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz.
To be sure, part of the issue was that, aside from that brief period in the second set, Djokovic was, well, the best version of himself. He was able to get to everything by sliding along the baseline, hitting shots precisely where he wanted them, and occasionally he used drop shots to set up winners and make Nadal run a lot. The same grey sleeve that Djokovic wore to the Wimbledon final three weeks prior was now on his right knee. He had surgery in Paris after tearing his meniscus during the French Open in early June.
It didn’t matter at all this warm afternoon in the eighties Fahrenheit, with clear skies overhead. During changeovers, both players wore frigid white towels around their necks, so supporters in the stands waved in an attempt to stay cool.
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