The 60th all-time matchup between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal ended in a straight-sets victory for the Serbian.
Djokovic, the No. 1 overall seed, defeated Spain's Nadal 6-1, 6-4 in Monday's second-round match at the 2024 Olympics.
The two have a long history, but Monday could have been their final time sharing the court. The all-time matchup now favors Djokovic 31-29, though Nadal leads 11-7 in Grand Slam battles.
Nadal, a 14-time French Open winner, was simply unable to find his familiar magic at Roland-Garros as he battles back from injuries.
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Djokovic jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the first set before finally conceding a game to Nadal. The second set wasn't quite as dominant for the Serbian star -- he pulled ahead 4-0, then Nadal held, broke, held and broke serve to make it 4-4. He evened the set up with a ridiculous point as the crowd began to fuel the improbable comeback.
But Djokovic, on his fourth break point, finally regained control to take a 5-4 lead before closing out the match as Nadal went out on an ace.
Next up, Djokovic will face the winner of Dominik Koepfer vs. Matteo Arnaldi in the third round as he chases his first gold medal in his fifth Olympic appearance.
Nadal, while eliminated from singles contention, will continue to compete in men's doubles alongside Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz. The pair is currently in the second round of that tournament, with the duo's next match set for Tuesday.
