TENNIS – Serbia’s top-seeded Novak Djokovic overcame a brief bout of nerves in the second set before beating 14-times French Open champion Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4 at the Paris Olympics yesterday and moving into the third round.
While Djokovic remains in the hunt for his elusive Olympic gold, Spain’s Nadal now has only the doubles competition left to add to his two Olympic gold medals, partnering Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic led 6-1, 4-0 before a Nadal comeback attempt that saw him briefly level 4-4.
“I was just very proud to be part of this match and ... I wanted to do my job on the court and really execute the game plan as much as I possibly can,” Djokovic said.
“So almost a perfect match, the 6-1, 4-0. Then things got complicated, I started to hesitate a little bit on my shot he stepped in, the crowd got involved and for all, it was really anybody’s set, anybody’s game. Just very glad to overcome this incredible challenge.”
Alcaraz was also in action in the singles but was never seriously pressured in his 6-1, 7-6 victory over Dutch opponent Tallon Griekspoor. Eighth-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas punched his ticket for the next round, with the Greek finding even less resistance in his 6-1, 6-2 victory over Britain’s Daniel Evans.
Sixth seed Casper Ruud of Norway was made to work harder in his three-set win over Italy’s Andrea Vavassori.
Women’s world number one Iga Swiatek of Poland had an even easier morning, crushing France’s Diane Parry 6-1, 6-1 to book her own third round spot.
Czech Barbora Krejcikova, the newly crowned Wimbledon champion, also advanced with a straight sets victory over China’s Wang Xinyu as did American Coco Gauff, beating Argentine Maria Lourdes Carle 6-1, 6-1.
But all eyes yesterday were on the Nadal-Djokovic showdown with the crowd desperate to see the world’s best claycourt player make one last one run in Paris even though his best playing days are long behind him.
At age 37, Djokovic, who has won 24 Grand Slam singles titles to Nadal’s 22, has remained far more competitive than his injury-plagued opponent. He left nothing to chance in a flawless display over a set and a half.
The world number two stretched the 38-year-old Spaniard with punishing groundstrokes and perfect drop shots, making him look his age as he raced through the first set and went 4-0 up in the second.
The crowd, ready for a mouth-watering epic on their record-extending 60th encounter, instead were being treated to what looked like a fast-track Djokovic win.
With the crowd sensing the end of an era was fast approaching, Nadal was desperate to avoid one of the most bruising defeats of his career on his favourite clay surface.
&uuid=(email))