Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will face off for the 60th and potentially final time in the second round of the Paris 2024 tournament.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are great friends, but this wasn’t always the case. The two will definitely be remembered as two of the greatest players to ever pick up a racket, and their on-court rivalry is the longest and possibly the finest in the Open Era.
It all began about two decades ago, when the soon-to-be legendary team emerged on the scene within a few years of each other in the mid-2000s. Djokovic claims he got “p****d off” with Nadal before one of their first matches when the Spaniard went through his pre-match ritual just a few feet away.
“I’m playing against Nadal in Roland Garros, and his dressing room is adjacent to mine, correct? So we’re quite close,” the Serbian told CBS last year. We strive to give each other room. But then the dressing room isn’t that huge.
“And the way you jump around, like Nadal, before we take the court… In the locker room, he is sprinting next to you. I can hear the music he’s listening to through his headphones. “You know, that bothers me,” he remarked.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged to allowing such thoughts to affect him when he was younger, but he quickly learned to tune them out and even use them to his advantage.
“At the start of my career, I didn’t understand it was all part of the plan, right? So I was terrified about that,” he explained. “But it also inspires me to do things for myself and demonstrate that I’m capable, you know? “I am prepared for battle, for war.”
Djokovic, 37, and Nadal, 38, will face off in the second round of the Paris Olympics on July 29, marking their 60th and possibly final meeting. Djokovic has a tiny advantage over his Spanish adversary, yet a victory for Nadal would square them at 30 wins each.
Before their match was confirmed, Djokovic stated that it would be “a spectacle”. He added, “We’ll let off some fireworks on the court like we used to. I hope we can meet, because it will most likely be our last dance.” Nadal, on the other hand, was quick to dismiss speculation that this might be their farewell meeting. “Who says [it’s the] last dance?” he questioned one reporter.
Perhaps predictably, he indulged in some pre-match mind games after insisting Djokovic was the overwhelming favourite to win the match. “Situations are completely different for him and for me.” He’s quite competitive. “I haven’t been very competitive in the last two years, so I believe he is the clear favourite,” Nadal said.
“I’m going to try my best to bring the best to the court and then let’s see how far I can go and how many problems I can create for him.” Aside from those cautionary words, the playing surface benefits Nadal, who has an 8-2 record against Djokovic on clay courts. However, Djokovic’s record at Roland Garros is impressive, with the Serb winning the French Open twice in the last four years.
The two have previously met at the Olympics, with Nadal defeating Djokovic in the semi-finals and then defeating Fernando Gonzalez in the final. In contrast, Djokovic has never won an Olympic gold medal.