Olympic Tennis: Novak Djokovic Ousts Rafael Nadal from Men’s Singles Competition

On Monday, two of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis — and two ferocious rivals — squared off for what could be the final time in their two storied careers at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Novak Djokovic, who’s claimed a record 24 men’s singles Grand Slam victories so far, walloped Rafael Nadal, winner of the second-most men’s singles Grand Slam championships (22). The 37-year-old Djokovic, currently the No. 2-ranked player in the world and the top-ranked player still in the tournament, bested the 38-year-old Nadal in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, in their second-round match.

In winning their 60th match against each other, Djokovic improves his head-to-head record over Nadal to 31-29 overall. Appropriately enough for a star nicknamed the “King of Clay,” Nadal does hold a massive edge on clay courts still, despite Monday’s result. Nadal boasts a 20-9 advantage on that surface. Djokovic, however, leads Nadal by 20-7 on hard courts, his preferred surface. The duo are tied, 2-2, on grass.

Nadal is up 11-7 over Djokovic, however, in their head-to-head bouts in Grand Slam encounters.

Following a surprising run to his first singles final in two years at the Nordea Open — and given that he’d be playing at Roland Garros, the site of his record 14 French Open titles — Nadal seemed to have at least an outside shot at claiming his second gold medal in singles at the event.

Read More: Rafael Nadal Advances to First ATP Singles Final in 2 Years at Nordea Open

Instead, his only chance of claiming another Olympic gold medal this year will arrive in the doubles competition. He’s teamed up with 21-year-old countryman Carlos Alcaraz, the world No. 3 and winner of the last two grand slam events this year, in men’s doubles. Nadal won his lone men’s singles Olympic gold medal in the 2008 Beijing games, and notched a 2016 gold in men’s doubles during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, alongside then-doubles playing partner Marc López.

When asked after the match if he had faced off against Djokovic for perhaps the last time (i.e. if he was retiring after this season), Nadal offered an aggrieved rejoinder, per ESPN.

“I cannot live every single day with the feeling that it’s going to be, or not going to be, my last match. I come here, I try my best, I play. And when I decide to stop playing, or when I decide to keep going, I will let you know. I don’t know,” Nadal said. “If I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going or physically I am not … ready to keep going, I will stop, and I will let you know.”

Nadal has been dealing with some level of right thigh injury during the Olympics thus far. The thigh has been taped while he plays, per ESPN.

“Playing against Novak without creating damage to him, and without having the legs of 20 years ago, is almost impossible,” Nadal said.

For his part, Djokovic seems hopeful that they will face each other again — that this wasn’t, in fact, the end of their on-court rivalry.

“Of course it can be, but we don’t know that. It really depends on many different factors,” Djokovic said. “I just hope for the sake of our rivalry, and the sport, in general, that we’ll get to face each other once, maybe a few times, on different surfaces, in different parts of the world, because I feel like it can only benefit the sport. But I don’t know how he feels in his body, what his plans are.”