Novak Djokovic brushes aside Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros with a straight sets win to keep alive his hopes of claiming an elusive Olympic Games gold medal
- The tennis icons met for the 60th time in the second round of the Olympic Games
- Djokovic leads their all-time head-to-head 31-29 after victory at Roland Garros
- Nadal remains in the race for a medal in the men’s doubles tournament in Paris
Novak Djokovic reached the third round of the men’s tennis tournament at the Olympic Games after beating old rival Rafael Nadal in three sets.
The record Grand Slam winner is looking for the only piece of silverware still missing from his trophy cabinet, having made short work of Nadal in the opening set at Roland Garros.
The event marked Nadal’s 14th French Open win and fans were hoping for a fairytale performance in what was expected to be his final appearance on the clay courts of Paris.
After winning the first set 6-1, Djokovic looked set to comfortably defeat Nadal in the second set of their 60th meeting, but the Spaniard recovered from a break to level the score at 4-4.
However, the Serb restored his lead in the next game before serving out the match to secure a 6-1, 6-4 victory. While Nadal’s hopes of a second singles gold were dashed, the veteran remains in the men’s doubles draw alongside Carlos Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic claimed his 31st victory over Rafael Nadal in the 60th meeting between the two tennis icons
Rafael Nadal’s hopes of a second singles gold medal have been dashed, but he remains in the race for a doubles win with Carlos Alcaraz
More to follow.