After a thrilling draw on Thursday, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic may face off in the men’s singles second round of the 2024 Olympics. The two renowned players are expected to reignite their rivalry at Roland Garros after not competing against one another in a professional match for more than two years.
Tennis players competing for spots in the finals of the men’s and women’s singles and doubles events in Paris this summer were informed of their prospects on Thursday morning.
However, the match that made headlines wasn’t drawn in the opening round. Rather, fans are eager over the idea of a matchup between both, Nadal and Djokovic in the second round.
If both of them defeat their opponents, the two, who have 46 Grand Slam victories between them, will square off in the following round.
At the draw ceremony, Nadal said: “As always, I’m happy to be in this amazing city and, of course, this place. Roland Garros, as everybody knows, is a special place in the world of tennis for me, so I’m just excited to have the chance to be back here. It’s another opportunity. This year, I was not able to spend a lot of time in Roland Garros, so I’m enjoying the fact that I am back for the Olympics.”
Novak Djokovic in 2024
Now ranked no.2, Djokovic played his last encounter on the 14th of July when he capitulated to world no.3 Carlos Alcaraz 6-2 6-2 7-6(4)
in the final in Wimbledon (draw).During this season the Serbian has a 23-7 record. Novak Djokovic’s latest run in Wimbledon was the best achievement of his season.
Novak Djokovic will play Matthew Ebden in the 1st round. They have never played each other until now in top tournaments.
Novak got to the final in Wimbledon.
Novak won 99 titles in his career: 53 on hard courts, 19 on clay courts, 19 on indoor courts and 8 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Djokovic has scheduled to compete next in Montreal (National Bank Open). He will begin to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 5th of August.
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Currently the world no.161, the Spaniard played his last match on the 21st of July when he lost to world no.42 Nuno Borges 6-3 6-2 in the final in Bastad (draw).
At the moment, during this season Nadal has achieved an overall 11-6 record. Rafael Nadal’s latest run in Bastad was the best achievement of his season.
Rafael Nadal will take on the world no.83 Marton Fucsovics in the 1st round. They have never played each other so far in top competitions.
The Spaniard was the runner-up in Bastad (Nordea Open).
The Spaniard won 92 titles in his career: 24 on hard courts, 63 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 4 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Nadal is scheduled to play next at the U.S. Open (U.S. Open). He will start from the main draw that will commence on the 26th of August.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal clashed against each other 59 times. Their actual head to head record is 30-29 for Djokovic. Previously, the last time they played, Rafael Nadal won 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(4) in the quarter in Paris (French Open) in May 2022.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal |
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