Olympics-Tennis-Nadal and Djokovic meet in Paris Games blockbuster

Audio By Carbonatix

Enlarge

By Sybille de La Hamaide

PARIS (Reuters) – Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic meet in a much-anticipated second-round showdown at the Paris Olympics on Monday that could be the last encounter between two of the biggest-ever tennis champions.

The match, early in the tournament, will be a record 60th between the multi-times Grand Slam winners, including 28 finals. It also follows a two-year struggle with injuries for Nadal, who has dropped to 161st in world rankings.

Djokovic, who has won a record 24 men’s Grand Slams, is hoping to extend his 30-29 lead in the pair’s head-to-heads, but Nadal, dubbed the “King of Clay” leads 20-8 on clay, having won the last match between them in the 2022 French Open quarter-finals.

Nadal said he would “try to give (his) best and enjoy it as much as possible” in what could be the 14-French Open winner’s last match in the Roland Garros stadium.

The Spaniard could benefit from Djokovic’s recent drop in form, as he has failed to win a single title so far this year and is still recovering from knee surgery after he was forced to pull out in the quarter-finals of the French Open.

The Serb is looking to add a first Olympic gold medal to his all-time record Grand Slam titles, while Nadal won a singles gold medal in 2008 and a doubles gold in 2016.

Djokovic in the first round steamrolled Australian doubles specialist Matthew Ebden, who placed in the singles draw after a raft of leading singles players pulled out due to illness or injury, including world number one Jannik Sinner.

Meanwhile Nadal defeated Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in three sets.

The 38-year-old Nadal is also participating in the men’s doubles competition along with fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who is also playing in the singles on Monday.

(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; Editing by Sharon Singleton)