Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4 in their blockbuster Olympic match on Monday, as the two titans battled for the 60th and possibly final time.
The match between the two most successful men’s tennis players in history appeared to be fizzling out until Nadal’s late comeback saved him from his heaviest-ever defeat to Djokovic.
“I’m very relieved,” Djokovic stated. “Everything was going my way, I was 6-1, 4-0 up but I played a sloppy service game and gave him chances.”
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, won his 31st match in a rivalry that began in 2006 on the Roland Garros clay courts.
“You could feel the tension coming into the match, but also incredible hype, incredible atmosphere on the court,” Djokovic remarked afterward.
“I never thought back in 2006 that we’d still be playing each other almost 20 years later.”
Nadal confessed Djokovic was the “clear favourite” ahead of their first meeting in over two years, with the Spaniard a shadow of the man who dominated Roland Garros for over two decades.
While 14 of Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles have come in Paris, the 38-year-old has been hampered by injuries in recent years, dropping to 161st in the world.
His participation in the singles in Paris had been uncertain until the final minute.
Djokovic’s season has not been particularly successful by his high standards, but the 37-year-old Serbian rose to the occasion in his chase of an elusive Olympic gold medal.
The top seed raced to a 5-0 lead before Nadal finally broke through, but Djokovic finished off the set and soared 4-0 up in the second until Nadal showed some late fight.
Nadal clawed his way back to 4-4, only for Djokovic to break once more, this time making no mistake as he put away his old nemesis, potentially bringing an end to one of the sport’s greatest rivalries.
Djokovic, who won a bronze medal in his Olympic debut in 2008, will next face Dominik Koepfer of Germany in the quarterfinals.
Nadal will focus on doubles, where he will form a dream partnership with compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz, the reigning men’s French Open and Wimbledon champion, will face Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in the singles later on Monday.