Paris 2024 Olympics tennis: Novak Djokovic ends Rafael Nadal’s singles run at Roland Garros :- As Rafael Nadal left the Philippe Chatrier court on Monday (29 July), he blew kisses to his die-hard fans.
Paris 2024 Olympics tennis: Novak Djokovic ends Rafael Nadal’s singles run at Roland Garros
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, the two-time gold medalist in tennis lost to his foe Novak Djokovic in the second round of the singles tournament 6-1, 6-4.
In their 60th matchup, the Serb was in great shape and almost rolled over Nadal at Stade Roland Garros, the place where he had won 14 of his 22 Grand Slam wins.
However, his impressive record wasn’t enough to protect him from an on-form Djokovic, who won the first set.
That Djokovic would completely destroy Nadal would be sweet payback for the pain that the Spanish ace caused him at the last Olympics. In 2008, the Spaniard beat Djokovic in the semi-finals to win the singles title. In 2016, he won the men’s doubles title at Rio.
Fans got to see two of the best tennis players in the world compete in the second round of the event. Djokovic is trying to win his first Olympic gold medal, and Nadal is trying to win his third.
The match between two tennis legends, who together have 46 Grand Slam singles wins, could have been their last match at the Olympics.
He told the “King of Clay” what to do. The all-time Grand Slam winner has won three of his 24 majors here in Paris.
In the first set, Nadal was down 5-0 and desperate. He was looking for a way to stop the bleeding while forcing himself to keep going with his face furrowed at the baseline.
Nadal’s serve was no longer as strong, which let Djokovic return without feeling too much pressure. The Serbian player then forced his rival to make mistakes.
In the sixth, the Spaniard finally got going when he held his serve for the first time in the match. His tense face relaxed for a moment.
In the next game, Djokovic continued to be in charge, sealing the set and making Nadal more likely to be sent home early from the Olympics.