Novak Djokovic breezed past long-time rival Rafael Nadal to progress into the third round of tennis at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
It was a brilliant moment to watch two of the sport’s most iconic and successful figures take to the Roland Garros courts together for what could be the final time.
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But in the match itself, it was never really a contest.
Djokovic – representing Serbia – won 6-1 6-4 against the Spaniard, who looked tired in the second set.
Nadal is also competing in the doubles with Carlos Alcaraz and only played his second-round match against Marton Fucsovics 24 hours earlier.
It looked for a moment like the 14-time French Open champion would stage an unthinkable comeback against the No.1 seed.
Having found himself 4-1 down in the second set, Nadal pulled it back to 4-4, breaking Djokovic twice in a row.
But it was not enough as the Serb recovered to win the next two games and take the win.
Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal!!
Nadal has lost just five matches at Roland Garros out of 117 🤯 Three of them have been to Djokovic.#PARIS2024 #OLYMPICS #BBCOLYMPICS PIC.TWITTER.COM/JYDAT658BK
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) JULY 29, 2024
Djokovic was frustrated when Nadal was fighting back and the Paris crowd were getting behind him.
It came after he dominated the opening set, taking all but one of the seven matches that were played.
And after winning the second set, he pulled out his iconic violin celebration, which he says is a tribute to his daughter.
Speaking to Discovery+, he said: “I am very relieved. Everything looked like it was going my way at 6-1, 4-0 and I was getting too comfortable out there maybe and I played a sloppy service game at 4-1 and you cannot give any chances to Nadal because he is going to use them, he is going to come back. Especially on this court. The crowd getting involved was tough.
“But the crucial game was at 4-4 in the second, last game with the old balls so try to break his serve and then serve with the wind and the new balls. It was a very close encounter especially in the second.
“Back in 2006 I don’t think either of us would have thought we would be playing here nearly 20 years later in the Olympic games. I think we will come eventually to appreciate this match very much, not just for our rivalry but for the sport.
“Unfortunate for him he was not at his best but I did everything I possibly can to make him uncomfortable.”
Nadal did not hang around after the match and exited quickly after waving to the crowd.
It was not the case for Djokovic, who soaked up the still slightly hostile atmosphere as he awaits news of his next opponent.
