Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal at the Olympic Games on Monday, claiming a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the pair’s 60th and potentially last meeting.
It was 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic’s 31st win in a rivalry that began on the same Roland-Garros clay courts in 2006.
Nadal was largely outclassed in the much anticipated encounter, only coming briefly to life when he won four games in a row in the second set.
“I’m very relieved,” said Djokovic. “Everything was going my way, I was 6-1, 4-0 up but I played a sloppy service game and gave him chances.”
He added, “I never thought back in 2006 that we’d still be playing each other almost 20 years later.”
In a sign of the wear and tear the pair have endured in recent months, Djokovic wore a protective strapping around his right knee while Nadal’s right thigh was heavily strapped.
But Djokovic played freely, forcing Nadal to scamper around Court Philippe-Chatrier, where the Spaniard had collected 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.
The Serb raced to 4-0 lead, on the back of a double break, and held for 5-0 before Nadal stopped the rot much to the relief of a packed, sweltering crowd.
Djokovic pocketed the one-sided opener when 2008 Olympic gold medallist Nadal ballooned a forehand wide of the mark.
The statistics made grim reading for the 38-year-old, who managed to eke out just four points off Djokovic’s serve in the first set.
There was no respite for Nadal, playing just his seventh tournament of an injury-plagued season, as Djokovic again carved out a double break for a 4-0 lead in the second set.
Djokovic, seeking a first Olympic gold medal to add to his 24 Grand Slam triumphs, surprisingly handed Nadal a lifeline when he served up a double fault to be broken for the first time.
Nadal retrieved the second break to claw his way back from 0-4 to 4-4 as the top seed went suddenly off the boil.
Djokovic responded in style, a drop-shot leaving Nadal flat-footed as the Serb broke for 5-4 on a fourth break point and clinched victory in style with an ace.
Despite his defeat on Monday, Nadal still has hopes of a gold medal in the men’s doubles where he is playing alongside Carlos Alcaraz.
With AFP
