The clash was expected since the draw and it will indeed take place. Two years after their last official confrontation, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will meet again on Monday, July 29 in Paris, in the legendary Roland-Garros stadium. On the Philippe-Chatrier court, the two legends will battle to qualify for the round of 16 of the men’s tournament. While the end of Rafael Nadal’s career has never been so close, this duel with his eternal rival Novak Djokovic appears to be a final summit.
60th clash, the second at the Olympics. It’s a classic. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will play their 60th match against each other, with a slight advantage for the Serb (30 wins to 29). At the Olympic Games, the two men have only met once, sixteen years ago. In Beijing, the Spaniard eliminated the Serb in the semi-finals before winning the final against the Chilean Fernando Francisco González.
A diminished but never defeated Nadal. Competing in doubles with Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal also wanted to play in singles for Spain. The 2008 Olympic champion, however, hesitated to participate in his last tournament of the Olympic Games. Weakened by a thigh injury before the start of the Games, he had difficulties against Marton Fucsovics (6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in 2h31). “Maybe this is the last time I’ll play on the Chatrier, maybe not. I can’t confirm that,” he said at the end of his first singles match.
Djokovic is aiming for the only title he lacks. In Paris, the Serb is chasing the last title missing from his immense list of achievements. The world number 2 has won everything except the Olympic gold medal, which has eluded him on numerous occasions. A bronze medalist in Beijing in 2008, he finished fourth in London in 2012 and in Tokyo in 2021. In 2016, in Rio, the Serb said goodbye to his Olympic goal in the first round.