Novak Djokovic Dominates Rafael Nadal, Advances in Olympics

Novak Djokovic dominated his long-time rival Rafael Nadal in their Olympic second-round match, winning 6-1, 6-4 on the Roland Garros clay. Djokovic, 37, delivered an exceptional performance, quickly building a 4-0 lead in the second set. Nadal, 38, mounted a brief comeback but could not stop Djokovic’s dominance. Despite Nadal’s efforts, Djokovic regained control and broke serve at 5-4 to secure his victory.

Djokovic expressed relief after the match, noting a lapse in his service game that had briefly given Nadal an opportunity. Nadal, the “King of Clay” with 14 French Open titles, could not match Djokovic’s level. The two players, who have faced each other 60 times, shared a friendly moment at the net with Djokovic clapping Nadal off the court. Djokovic now leads their head-to-head record 31-29.

Despite his extensive achievements, including 24 Grand Slam titles, Novak Djokovic continues to pursue the elusive Olympic gold medal. He showcased his top form, which was particularly impressive given his recent knee surgery and his final appearance at Wimbledon. Nadal, struggling with a thigh injury, fell short against Djokovic’s superior play.

Nadal will next compete in the men’s doubles with Carlos Alcaraz, but he has hinted at retirement following the 2024 season. The match may have been his final singles appearance at Court Philippe Chatrier. In other Olympic tennis news, British duo Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski fell to Czech pair Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlasek. They lost in the men’s doubles first round with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.

Dan Evans, who had a notable win with Andy Murray, fell 6-1, 6-2 to Greek eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. In women’s singles, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the favorite for gold, advanced to the third round with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Diane Parry. American second seed Coco Gauff and Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini advanced to the next round. Czech ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova and Greek seventh seed Maria Sakkari also made it to the last 16.

Germany’s Angelique Kerber, who is playing her final tournament, joined them in the round of 16.