Novak Djokovic didn't get an easy draw at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but he's very excited about the prospect of facing Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Olympic Games.
There are no first-round BYEs at the Olympics, which means in order to get the matchup between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, fans need both of them to win those matches. The 37-year-old has the easier job as he faces Matthew Ebden a player who largely plays doubles these days though he was a fairly decent singles players at his peak. He's not so much anymore, which should make Djokovic's job easier, especially as the Games are played on clay, a surface where Ebden never really shined.
For Nadal, it's much tougher as he will be facing Marton Fucsovics, a very capable player who can certainly beat the Spaniard on his best day. We saw a solid level from Nadal in Bastad, but the Hungarian is a solid player, and he can certainly do some damage on clay. He actually played Djokovic at Roland Garros last year, and he played him close, so he can certainly do that with Nadal as well.
If they both win their matches, then we'll get that iconic Olympic showdown in the second round. Djokovic is really excited about the prospect of that because he knows that there won't be many times he can face Nadal anymore. They're both sailing towards the end of their tennis careers, and having a match at the Olympics would certainly make the rivalry even more iconic.
“I am aware that an era with Nadal and Murray's retirements after the Games is ending. I think my career is also coming to an end, but I believe there are and there will be tennis players who can carry the weight of being the best. It would be exciting to play against Nadal in the second round.”
Another crucial attribute will be how Djokovic plays. There are still concerns about his knee and whether he's going ot be ready for the grinding nature of clay tennis. He spoke about that before the games, admitting that he feels better than he did at Wimbledon, which makes sense. He's got more time to spend on the courts, so naturally, he'll feel better. The motivation is high because he's never won a gold medal, but he fancies his chances.
“I feel more ready than I was before Wimbledon. I had many opportunities to win gold and now I have to start taking advantage of them. The fact that I am not a favorite for bookmakers is just a motivation for me. The Olympic Games have always been a great challenge for me. I focused all my preparation on this tournament. I think I will immediately adapt to the conditions of Roland Garros since we played there two months ago.”
As he said, he's not the top favourite, but Carlos Alcaraz is, and they're the two top seeds. They can only meet in the final, and that would be a special win.
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