Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will play their 60th meeting in a match that is sure to be exciting on Monday at the Paris Olympics 2024.
As one half of Nadalcaraz, Rafael Nadal has led the way and triumphed thus far in Paris. He will now attempt to even the score in their 60th match with Djokovic on Monday.
After just two days, the tennis Olympics have already been outstanding.
It all started with the sport’s prominent presence during the Opening Ceremonies of the Games, which seemed to validate both the game’s significance on a worldwide scale and its position at the center of a tournament that it had been absent from for sixty years.
Coco Gauff joined LeBron James as a flag-bearer for the United States, and Serena Williams and Amelie Mauresmo also contributed to carrying the torch. The biggest surprise, though, came when Rafael Nadal, grinning, emerged from beneath the Eiffel Tower, took Zinedine Zidane’s torch, and rode a boat up the Seine with it. The message appeared to be: win 14 titles at Roland Garros and you can become an honorary Frenchman.
Nadal, a previous gold medallist in both singles and doubles, has so far utilized his opening-day enthusiasm to his advantage in his matches. He and Carlos Alcaraz—who will always be referred to as Nadalcaraz—packed Court Philippe Chatrier on Saturday and managed to shake off just enough of their doubles rust to defeat Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez in two tight sets.
Nadal was the more confident and instinctive of the two Spaniards in terms of play. It was an opportunity to witness the history of Spanish tennis, as well as the next generation of great players, exchange thunderous forehands and beaming smiles. Fans of all sports would undoubtedly want to see it continue for as long as feasible.
Nadal had his right thigh taped for the match, so that was the main issue. He had reportedly hurt his thigh in addition to his recent hip problems, and he stated that this might prevent him from competing in Sunday’s singles. However, he was persuaded by an early practice that he was competent enough to compete against Marton Fucsovics, and he was—just barely. With a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory against the powerful Hungarian, Rafa advanced to his 60th and potentially last match with Novak Djokovic.
Rafa fans shouldn’t have much optimism regarding his prospects against Djokovic after seeing him just scrape by Fucsovics. But Nadal seemed to be moving and hitting effectively, in my opinion. With time to spare, he stopped Fucsovics’ drop jumpers by playing defense along the baseline. He smashed his forehand by backpedaling all the way into the alley, and he confidently—though not always—flattened out his backhand down the line. Even though he made a careless double-fault at match point, he confidently held his serve throughout the third set.
On Chatrier, there were times when it seemed like the old days and other times, mostly early in the second set, when it didn’t. As Nadal has previously stated during his recovery, he struggles to play at his best from wire to wire but can bring his A game for extended periods of time.
Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal Triumph in Paris Olympic 2024 Doubles Debut
He is aware that he will have to exert more effort against Djokovic and that he is pressed for time to reach his best game, as he typically does when facing the Serb.
Playing against Novak has always been quite unique, don’t you think? On Sunday, Nadal told reporters. Without a question. However, there is a distinction because we typically play for semifinals or finals.
“I came into practically every single match I played against Novak with a different situation… That therefore increases the match’s difficulty and unpredictability for me.
Both Nadal and Djokovic, who are 38 and 37 years old, respectively, will have some soreness on Monday. Djokovic just had knee surgery a few weeks ago, and he is coming off a poor showing against Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. The scar tissue from his 2-8 record versus Rafa on this court might also be felt by him.
The Nadal-Djokovic LX matchup is limited to the second round and does not include each player at the top of his game. But there will be a lot on the line: only one person will likely go on in his probably last attempt to win an Olympic medal. For Djokovic, who has achieved everything in the sport but a gold medal, that is really significant. In the past, the game might also be significant: In their head-to-head match, a Nadal victory would put them at 30-30; a Djokovic victory would put him ahead, maybe in the lead for good.
Nadal declares, “I’m going to give it my all, and I always have hope.” Djokovic is presumably thinking along the same lines.
