Novak Djokovic (Serbia) vs Rafael Nadal (Spain)
Monday, July 29, 2024
Novak Djokovic - Rafael Nadal (odds to be updated) Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: USA: NBC, UK: BBC Sport, Australia: Nine, Africa: Supersport
Novak Djokovic will face Rafael Nadal in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympics tennis tournament. The match is scheduled for Monday, July 29, 2024. Here's our Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal prediction.
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal Preview
Novak Djokovic opened up his bid to win his first gold medal at the Olympics in perfect style on Saturday. The Serbian World No. 2 demolished Australia's Matthew Ebden 6-0, 6-1 in under an hour. It was a stroll in the park for the top seed, who was facing an opponent that had not played a singles match on the ATP Tour for two years.
Additionally, Ebden did not even qualify for the event and was only used as a makeshift opponent following a spate of withdrawals in the Olympics singles tournament. That being said, Djokovic voiced his frustration towards the organizers and questioned the eligibility criteria.
Rafael Nadal, by contrast, played 24 hours later on Sunday. He kicked off his campaign with an entertaining three-set win over Hungary's Marton Fucsovics. Nadal won his doubles match with Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday, and there were rumors that he would withdraw from singles because of the upper leg injury that he had been carrying at the tournament.
He was also unhappy with the tournament's scheduling of his singles match on Sunday afternoon, when he had very little rest time after Saturday. Nonetheless, Nadal was able to wear down Fucsovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal Head-To-Head
• Djokovic leads Nadal 30-29 in ATP meetings in what is considered one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history.
• This will be their second meeting at the Olympic Games. Nadal defeated Djokovic in the 2008 Beijing Olympics semifinal en route to winning the gold medal.
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal Prediction
It's a blockbuster. The two most successful ATP players in Grand Slam history will clash in the second round of the Paris Olympics. For close to two decades, Roland Garros has been Nadal's kingdom. But even at the height of the Spaniard's dominance, Novak Djokovic was the one man who regularly made Nadal vulnerable on his beloved surface and tournament.
Djokovic is the only man to beat him multiple times there, and he looks like he is the likelier to win this match. The Serb is the healthier of the two right now and has been the most active player on Tour between them in the last couple of years. I trust Djokovic's fitness and he's also very confident with his game.
Nur’s Pick Novak Djokovic in three sets
AUTHOR: Nur Said
