In the second round of Paris 2024, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will square off for the 60th and potentially final time.
Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic are good friends, but it wasn’t always like that. Their on-court rivalry is the longest and possibly finest in the Open Era, and the two will go down as two of the greatest players to ever pick up a racket.
It all started over 20 years after the soon-to-be renowned pair made their big debuts in the mid-00s, just a year apart. Before one of their first encounters, Djokovic claims he was “p****d off” by Nadal for carrying out his pre-match routine just feet from him.
“At Roland Garros, I’m playing against Rafael Nadal, and I believe his changing room is just next to mine? The Serbian said to CBS last year, “So we are so close.” We attempt to give one another room. However, the changing area is also quite small.
And before we hit the court, the way you hop around like Rafael Nadal… He’s running beside you in the changing room. Even the music he’s listening to through his headphones is audible to me. That bothers me, you know,” he remarked.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion said that in his younger years, he allowed such kinds of things to affect him, but he quickly discovered how to ignore the mental tricks and occasionally even turn them to his advantage.
“I didn’t realize at the start of my career that it was all a part of the script, right? Thus, I was terrified of that,” he remarked. However, it also spurs me on to take charge of things and demonstrate my readiness, you know? I’m prepared for conflict and fight.”
On July 29, Djokovic, 37, and Rafael Nadal, 38, will square off in the second round of the Paris Olympics. This will be their 60th and perhaps last meeting. Although Djokovic is marginally ahead of his Spanish opponent, a win for Nadal would, appropriately enough, tie them at thirty victories apiece.
Djokovic said the match will be “a spectacle” before their match was officially confirmed. “We’ll spread some fireworks on the court, just like the good old days,” he declared. It will likely be our last dance together, so I really hope we get to meet.” But Nadal was eager to downplay rumors that it would be their last meeting. Asked a reporter, “Who says [it’s the] last dance?”
It should come as no surprise that, having insisted Djokovic was the clear favorite to win the tie, he also played some mind games prior to the game. For me, circumstances are very different with him. He’s acting with extreme rivalry. Since I haven’t been particularly competitive the past two years, I believe he is the obvious favorite in that scenario, Nadal remarked.
“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.” Despite the cautious language, Nadal is in the lead because of the clay court, where he is 8-2 versus Djokovic. However, Djokovic has a strong record at Roland Garros; over the last four years, the Serb has won the French Open twice.
The two have already competed in an Olympic competition; in the 2008 Beijing Games, Nadal defeated Djokovic in the semifinals before defeating Fernando Gonzalez in the championship match. Conversely, Djokovic has a zero in Olympic gold.