Novak Djokovic defeats Rafael Nadal at 2024 Olympics in the final battle of the greats

Novak Djokovic emerged victorious over Rafael Nadal in their Round 2 clash at the 2024 Olympics. The Serbian won in straight sets of 6-1 and 6-4 to earn the win over the King of Clay.

Djokovic will now advance to Round 3 of the Olympics as he chases gold. On the other hand, Nadal will team up with Spain’s next big superstar, Carlos Alcaraz, in the doubles category.

Novak Djokovic defeats Rafael Nadal in possible last battle

Crazy facts about the Novak Djokovic-Rafa Nadal rivalry:

2008: the last time Nadal beat Djokovic on a grass court
2010: the last time Nadal beat Djokovic on an indoor hard court
2013: the last time Nadal beat Djokovic on an outdoor hard court
2013: the last time Nadal won a set… pic.twitter.com/X24ZAXfKfZ

— Danny 🐊 (@DjokovicFan_) July 30, 2024

This could have been the last time we saw the two icons of tennis face each other. They have battled on the court 60 times in total, with Nadal emerging victorious 29 times. Following his latest win, Djokovic now holds the advantage with 31 wins over the Spaniard.

The only other time the two legends were drawn in the Olympics was in the 2008 edition in Beijing. Nadal emerged victorious that time, and his rival has now leveled up the tally at the big stage as he chases the first Olympics gold medal of his career.

The reason Djokovic and Nadal were drawn this early is because of the latter’s ranking outside the top 150. While the Serb was a top seed, Nadal’s lack of games gave him the draw against an in-form Djokovic.