Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal – Breakdown and Prediction

July 29, 2024

Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal: Olympic Tennis tournament – Second round

For the 60th and probably the last time, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will face each other, this time in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Novak Djokovic Profile

Novak Djokovic is currently second in the ATP rankings after being on top of the most of the last ten years. The Serbian is 24-7 for the season and 11-3 on clay.

In the first round of the Olympics tournament, Djokovic defeated Mathhew Ebden 6-0, 6-1.

In the match before, he lost 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. Djokovic has yet to win a title this season, which is the first time since 2005.

He reached the semifinals in Geneva, Monte Carlo, and the Australian Open this season.

He won the bronze medal in the 2020 Olympics.

Rafael Nadal Profile

Former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal is currently 161st in the ATP rankings. The Spanish are 12-7 for the season and 10-5 on clay.

He is coming off a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 win over Marton Fucsovics in the opening round of the Olympic tournament.

Last week, Nadal made it to the final in Bastad where he lost 6-3, 6-2 to Nuno Borges. Earlier this season, Nadal reached the quarterfinals in Brisbane and the round of 16 in Madrid.

Nadal will also play in men’s doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.

Nadal won the gold medal in singles at the 2008 Olympics, and eight years later he won the gold in doubles.

Head-to-Head Djokovic leads 30-29 – The last five matches:

Nadal vs Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (2022 French Open, quarterfinal)
Djokovic vs Nadal 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 (2021 French Open, semifinal)
Nadal vs Djokovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 (2021 ATP Rome, final)
Nadal vs Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 (2020 French Open, final)
Djokovic vs Nadal 6-2, 7-6 (2020 ATP Cup)

Prediction and Conclusion

The second round of the Olympic tennis tournament will bring us one of the best matchups in the history of the sport. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are among the best tennis players ever, and they will face each other for the 60th and probably the last time. Djokovic leads by one win in their head-to-head matches, but Rafael Nadal has been dominant in the past at the Roland Garros Stadium and has a 20-8 record against Djokovic on clay. This will be an epic match, despite the fact that neither of them are in top form. However, Djokovic is much closer to his best play and will be the one to advance to the next round.