Novak Djokovic dominates possible “last dance” with Rafael Nadal at Paris Olympics

The possible “last dance” between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal was less a tango and more a pasodoble as Djokovic dominated the 60th meeting of their storied rivalry, 6-1, 6-4 to advance one match closer to a maiden Olympic gold medal in Paris.

Facing off on Court Philippe-Chatrier for the 11th time since they first met at 2006 Roland Garros, the 24-time Grand Slam champion fended off a second-set surge to improve his head-to-head against Nadal, a 22-time major winner, to 31-29 in just one hour and 42 minutes.

For Nadal, who has hedged on whether he will retire after the 2024 season, his Olympic campaign continues in doubles with countryman Carlos Alcaraz.

A gold medalist in both singles (2008) and doubles (2016, with Marc Lopez), the 2024 Olympic torchbearer has played sparingly since the end of the 2022 season, missing nearly all of 2023 and sitting out two of three major tournaments in 2024. Nadal’s decision to withdraw from Wimbledon last month was made with the Olympics in mind, opting to continue preparing on clay after a first-round exit from Roland Garros in May. The 38-year-old returned to action at the Nordea Open, where he won a nearly-four-hour epic over Mariano Navone en route to his first final in over two years.

Competing in his first Summer Olympic Games since 2016 in Rio, Nadal edged past Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics to book the blockbuster second round against Djokovic, who made quick work of Matthew Ebden of Australia to kick off his week in Paris. Djokovic, 37, has rebounded from a frightening knee injury and subsequent surgery in style, finishing runner-up at Wimbledon to Alcaraz after having to withdraw from Roland Garros ahead of his quarterfinal meeting with Casper Ruud.

The marquee match of the day saw Djokovic make a strong start and surge through the opening five games, exploiting Nadal’s movement with drop shots and all-court shotmaking. Nadal, who has sported a visibly bandaged thigh throughout the week, got on the board but was unable to interrupt Djokovic’s momentum as the Serb rolled out to a set and 4-0 lead.

Nadal snapped another five-game streak against him with a hold, and capitalized on a Djokovic blip to nab his first break of the afternoon. The Spaniard only got stronger from there, bringing the Chatrier crowd to its feet with a fourth straight game, leveling the set at 4-4 with a vintage forehand passing shot.

On the brink of forcing a third set, Nadal saved three break points in a marathon game, but Djokovic steadied to convert a fourth to regain the initiative and give himself the chance to serve for the match.

A missed return from Nadal helped Djokovic earn his first match point, and the world No. 1 ultimately made it over the finish line in just under two hours.

Awaiting Djokovic in the third round will be Dominik Koepfer, who defeated Matteo Arnaldi on Monday.