PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic dominated his opponent Rafael Nadal at the start, then held off a comeback attempt to win 6-1, 6-4 at Paris Olympics in the second round on Monday, the 60th – and likely last – match between tennis’ top two.
Djokovic won 10 of the opening 11 matches, with Nadal nowhere near the skilful and ever-rushing version of himself who won a record 14 French Open trophies on the same red clay at Roland Garros that hosts matches at the Summer Games. Instead, Nadal declinedhe looks every bit of his 38 years and looks like someone who might be ready to retire after playing sparingly the last two seasons due to a series of injuries, including hip surgery.
Then, suddenly, the indefatigable Nadal was on, making a push to turn this match into a competitive one that surely no one – least of all Djokovic – found too surprising. Nadal won four straight games in the second set, including a forehand winner to break to make it 4-all. He raised his left fist, drawing roars from the packed Court Philippe Chatrier crowd who repeatedly tried to encourage him with chants of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!’
And that’s when Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia, regained control. He broke right back, pointing to his left ear while walking to the side as if mocking Nadal’s supporters. Djokovic then served out the winner, before meeting Nadal at the net for a hug.
Djokovic has 24 Grand Slam titles, and Nadal 22, the two highest men’s totals in the history of the sport, both are ranked No. 1, and no pair of men has played each other more often in the professional era. They make up two-thirds of the so-called Big Three of men’s tennis, along with Roger Federer, who retired with 20 Slam titles. This trio enjoyed unprecedented success and sparked endless debates about who the “GOAT” — “Greatest of All Time” — was.
But Djokovic and Nadal are used to meeting – and fans are used to watching – in the latter stages of events, including nine major finals. Not just the second round. That happened early this time because while Djokovic is the top seed at the Summer Games, Nadal’s ranking is outside the top 150 due to a lack of matches.
Part of Nadal’s problems on Monday stemmed from not being in top form. His right thigh has been taped during these Olympics, where he is also competing in doubles for Spain with Carlos Alcaraz.
And part of the problem, surely, was that Djokovic was his best except for that brief stretch in the second set, gliding along the baseline to get to everything, hitting shots exactly where he wanted, occasionally using a drop shots to set up winners and force Nadal to run long. Djokovic wore a gray sleeve on his right knee, as he did when he reached the Wimbledon final three weeks ago. He tore his meniscus during the French Open in early June and underwent surgery in Paris.
None of that mattered on this warm afternoon under a cloudless sky with the temperature in the 80s Fahrenheit. People in the stands waved at the fans in an attempt to keep their cool. Both players wore cold white towels around their necks during the shift.
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