No chance: Rafael Nadal had to admit defeat to Novak Djokovic. © ANSA / FRANCK ROBICHON

One-sided duel of giants: Djokovic sweeps Nadal off the court

Novak Djokovic won the giant duel with Rafael Nadal at the Paris Olympic Games and clearly dominated his long-time rival at times.

July 29, 2024

From: cst/dpa

The Serbian tennis world number one beat the Spaniard 1:43, 6:1 in the second round in 6 hour 4 minutes. Nadal fought back from a 0:4 deficit in the second set to 4:4, but had to admit defeat to Philippe Chatrier in what was possibly his last singles appearance on his beloved court. For Djokovic, it was the 60st victory in the 31th duel between the two superstars.

Djokovic mercilessly gave the 14-time French Open winner no chance in the first set. The spectators repeatedly tried to encourage their favorite player with loud chants of "Rafa, Rafa." But initially it was all in vain - the 37-year-old Djokovic played largely flawlessly and drove Nadal, who is a year older, across the court several times with drop shots.

Nadal with a big fight in the second set

In front of tennis legend Billie Jean King and rap superstar Snoop Dogg, Djokovic found himself in trouble again after leading 4-0 in the second set. Nadal did not give up and showed his class on clay with some magical shots. However, Djokovic won the match with an ace.

Long-term rivals: Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal © ANSA / FRANCK ROBICHON

The gold favorite will face Dominik Koepfer in the round of 3, who defeated the Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6:6, 2:6, 1:2008. In the doubles, Nadal still has a chance of winning his third Olympic gold alongside fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz after his singles triumph in 2016 in Beijing and his doubles victory in XNUMX in Rio de Janeiro.