After defeating Australia’s Matthew Ebden handily in the opening round of the singles at a damp Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic took a dig at the Olympic tennis regulations.
In just 53 minutes, the top seed—who is looking to capture his first Olympic gold medal and add to his impressive collection of tennis titles—beat Ebden 6-0, 6-1.
According to the event’s rules, players who withdraw from singles after July 19 can only be replaced by athletes who are already registered for another event.
Djokovic stated his remarks about the tournament’s rules and said: “I really don’t understand the rules, they’re really not logical for me. I don’t think it’s a good image for the sport, to be honest. There were a lot of singles players that had plenty of time, that were alternates, that could have been called to come. I really hope the ITF (International Tennis Federation) along with the Olympics will consider changing this rule.”
If Rafael Nadal can overcome Marton Fucsovics with a right thigh issue, Djokovic might be in for an exciting matchup in the second round.
He added: “I’ve done my part of the work, now he has to win his first match. I’m looking forward to what may possibly be our last dance on this court.”
Novak Djokovic in 2024
WLWWWWWWWW At the moment ranked no.2, the Serbian played his last match on the 27th of July when he overcame Matthew Ebden 6-0 6-1 in the 1st round in Paris (draw).
This season Djokovic owns a 24-7 record. Novak Djokovic’s most significant result of the current season was getting to the final in Wimbledon.
Novak was the finalist in Wimbledon.
Djokovic 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 play next in Montreal (National Bank Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 5th of August.
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Ranked world no.161, Nadal played his last match on the 21st of July when he was overcome by world no.42 Nuno Borges 6-3 6-2 in the final in Bastad (draw).
This season Rafael owns a compiled 11-6 record. Rafael Nadal’s latest run in Bastad was the best achievement of his season.
Rafael Nadal will face the world no.83 Marton Fucsovics in the 1st round. In the past, they have never competed against each other up to now in top tournaments.
The Spaniard reached the final in Bastad (Nordea Open).
Rafael 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 has scheduled to compete next at the U.S. Open (U.S. Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 26th of August.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal fought against each other 59 times. Their actual record is 30-29 for Djokovic. Previously, the last time they locked horns, Rafael Nadal won 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(4) in the quarter in Paris (French Open) in May 2022.
In the following video you can watch the key moments of their match.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal |
| Embed from Getty Images |
