PARIS– Novak Djokovic dominated rival Rafael Nadal early on, then avoided a comeback attempt to win 6-1, 6-4 in the Paris Olympics in the second round, Monday, the 60th – and probably the last – direct confrontation between the two tennis greats.
Djokovic won 10 of the opening 11 games, with Nadal far from the skilled, always-hurrying version of himself who won a record 14 French Open trophies on the same red clay at Roland Garros that hosts the Summer Games matches . Instead of, Nadal was diminishedshowing all his 38 years and looking like someone who might be ready to retire after playing only sparingly the past two seasons because of a series of injuries, including hip surgery.
Then, suddenly, the indefatigable Nadal stepped forward, making an effort to make this competition competitive, which certainly no one – least of all Djokovic – found very surprising. Nadal won four straight games in the second set, including a forehand winner to break and make it 4-all. He raised his left fist, drawing screams from a packed crowd at the Court Philippe Chatrier, who repeatedly tried to encourage him with shouts of “Ra-fa! Rafa!
And that’s when Djokovic, a 37-year-old Serbian, regained control. He broke his back, pointing to his left ear as he walked to the sideline, as if to insult Nadal’s fans. Djokovic then served the winner, before finding Nadal at the net for a hug.
Djokovic has 24 Grand Slam titles, and Nadal 22, the two highest men’s totals in more than a century of the sport’s history, were both ranked No. 1, and no pair of men have faced 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 achieved unprecedented success and generated endless debates about who was the “GOAT” – “Greatest of All Time”.
But Djokovic and Nadal are used to meeting – and fans are used to watching them – in the latter stages of events, including nine major finals. Not just the second round. It happened so early this time because although Djokovic is the top seed at the Summer Games, Nadal’s ranking is outside the top 150 due to a lack of games.
Part of Nadal’s problems on Monday were caused by not being in great shape. His right thigh was bandaged during the Olympics, where he also competes in doubles for Spain with Carlos Alcaraz.
And part of the problem, of course, was that Djokovic was, well, the best version of himself, except during that brief stretch of the second set, sliding along the baseline to get to everything, hitting shots exactly where he wanted. occasionally using drop shots to set up winners and force Nadal to run hard. Djokovic wore a gray sleeve on his right knee, just as he did when reaching the final at Wimbledon 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 hot afternoon under a cloudless sky, with the temperature in the 80s Fahrenheit. People in the stands waved to fans in an attempt to remain calm; both players wore cold white towels around their necks during exchanges.
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