Olympics: Rafael Nadal goes down fighting as Novak Djokovic enters third round

Paris Olympics 2024: Rafael Nadal lost his second round match to Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard fought for an hour and 43 minutes before losing the match 1-6, 4-6 at Philippe-Chatrier.

In Short

• Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4 at Centre Court
• Djokovic took an hour and 43 minutes to beat the Spaniard
• Nadal lost 2 out of 3 matches at Roland Garros this year

Rafael Nadal failed to advance to the third round of the tennis men’s singles at the Paris Olympics 2024 after losing 1-6, 4-6 to Novak Djokovic. On Monday (July 29), the 14-time French Open champion looked a tad clueless at Philippe-Chatrier and looked a shadow of his glorious self on the clay-court where he has ruled for over two decades.

2024 has been a nightmare for Nadal, who has lost two matches on his favourite court. Earlier this year, he lost the opening-round match of the French Open to Alexander Zverev. This time, it took Djokovic only an hour and 43 minutes to beat the Spaniard under the bright sunny skies at Centre Court.

Djokovic eases past Nadal

The first set was a completely one-sided affair as Djokovic raced to a 5-0 lead with a double break. The 37-year-old Nadal got on the board, making it 5-1 by holding his serve, but it was all too late for the Spaniard to make a comeback. Djokovic romped past Djokovic in the opening set in only 39 minutes. The set came to a close after Nadal made an error on his forehand.

The second set turned out to be much closer. Yet again, Djokovic stormed into a 4-0 lead by breaking Nadal’s serve twice. Nadal showed some resilience by earning both breaks back and making it 4-4, conjuring cheers from the crowd at Roland Garros. But Djokovic earned his fifth break of the match and delivered the knockout punch.

Paris Olympics 2024 Full Coverage

Rafael Nadal still breathing in Paris

Djokovic gave Australian Matthew Ebden nightmares in the first round, and he dictated terms to Nadal as well. Nadal, on the other hand, had to fight hard against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, and he made Djokovic sweat, especially in the second set, but his efforts went in vain. The veteran, however, is alive in Paris as he partners his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, who has four Grand Slam singles titles to his name, in doubles.

Djokovic, in the meantime, will face the winner of the match between Germany’s Dominik Koepfer and Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi in the third round. Having not won a title this year, conceding the No.1 ranking and losing the Wimbledon final to Alcaraz, Djokovic will be hungry to open his account in 2024.