After Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal won their opening matches at the 2024 Paris Olympics, they will face each other in the second round of the tournament.
The 60th time the two greats will meet will happen at the Olympic Games in Paris. It's a wonderfully fitting place for what might just be the final time they will play each other.
We don't know if it's their last match, and it doesn't really matter, but this will certainly be one spectacular match. It comes after Djokovic easily won his first-round match and Nadal won his first-round match in three sets.
It wasn't as easy for the Spaniard, but he did it, and that's all he needed. The form is obviously on the side of the 24-time major winner, who has been playing lots of tennis this year.
His season didn't start well, but in recent weeks, the 37-year-old has certainly looked great on the court. Nadal hasn't looked as good, but he, too, has looked better compared to the level he has shown before.
Another important tidbit to note is that this match is played in Paris on the Roland Garros courts. They've faced each other a few times in the French capital, and obviously, Nadal has generally had the upper hand.
If there is one court where the 14-time French Open champion can still beat his rival Djokovic, it's the Court Philippe-Chatrier Is it likely? Not really, but it can certainly happen if adrenaline carries him towards it.
So far, we've seen 59 matches between them, with Djokovic holding a slight edge in the H2H overall, leading 30-29. On clay, things are a bit different because the score skews towards Nadal, who leads 20-6 on that surface.
At Roland Garros, it's even more impressive for Nadal, but Djokovic has beaten him in Paris before. It happened, so it could happen again, especially given the circumstances this time around.
Djokovic is the far better player right now and generally has been playing better recently. Beating Nadal in Paris, though, is something he described as the toughest thing to do in tennis, so expect the 24-time major winner to know really well what he's walking into.
A couple of things do benefit him though. He's likely more fit than Nadal, who seems to be carrying a lower leg injury. The spin Nadal has in his shots will always make him a very dangerous opponent, but the match against Marton Fucsovics showed he's vulnerable.
The Hungarian didn't win that match, but he could have. He showed a good blueprint for Djokovic, and that's to be aggressive and take it to Nadal.
| Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal | |
| 30 | H2H | 29 |
| 2 | Rank | 161 |
| 37 | Age | 38 |
| 24-7 | 2024 W/L | 12-6 |
| 1111-220 | Career W/L | 1080 -226 |
If Djokovic comes out aggressive and attacks Nadal, then the Spaniard doesn't have many chances to win this match. The match will be competitive purely because of the competitors on the courts, but Djokovic is the overwhelming favorite.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in two sets.