Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 6-1 6-4 as two of tennis’ great champions clashed in the second round of the Olympic men’s singles at Roland Garros.
The much-anticipated matchup between record 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic and Nadal, a 14-time winner of the French Open, initially proved to be a bit of a damp squib as Djokovic breezed the opening set 6-1.
The Serb raced out into a 5-0 lead as he broke Nadal in both of his opening two service games. The Spaniard finally held third time round to get on the board but was broken twice more to start the second set.
At that stage, it looked set to be a sorry exit for the 38-year-old Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion in his own right who has been plagued by injuries in recent years.
But, in what could prove to be his last career meeting with the one-year-younger Djokovic, Nadal rallied to put on a show for the Paris crowd in attendance, breaking back twice to level the second set at 4-4.
Sadly he couldn’t maintain his comeback, coughing up four further break points in his subsequent service game and, though he saved the first three of them, Djokovic converted the fourth before serving out the match.
It means Djokovic nudges further ahead 31-29 in the pair’s 60 career meetings, though Nadal holds the edge 5-4 in their nine Grand Slam finals contested.
With victory, Djokovic keeps alive his hopes of a first Olympic gold medal, while Nadal, who won gold at Beijing 2008 – where Djokovic took bronze – is left to focus on the men’s doubles, where he is competing alongside world No 2 and four-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz.
British hope Evans knocked out of men’s singles
British hope Dan Evans is out of the men’s singles in Paris as he suffered a comprehensive 6-1 6-2 defeat to Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Evans, who, alongside Andy Murray, heroically battled back from facing five match points to claim a dramatic first-round victory in the men’s doubles on Sunday, was far more easily swept aside in the singles, losing in just 52 minutes.
Evans had kicked off the singles tournament by battling past Moez Echargui 6-2 4-6 6-2 in the first round, still struggling with a knee injury suffered at Queen’s Club last month.
How much that affected him in his defeat to Tsitsipas is unclear, but the 34-year-old returns to partner Murray in the doubles again on Tuesday,
How to follow the Olympics on Sky
Keep up to date with the action from the Paris 2024 Olympics across Sky Sports’ digital platforms and Sky Sports News every day between now and Sunday August 11.
Alongside live news blogs and updates as records are broken and medals won on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app, Sky Sports News will also have dedicated reporters on the scene in Paris during the Games to gather the latest news both inside and outside the arenas in France as well as reaction to the big moments from medal winners, coaches, relatives and pundits.
Launching this August, Sky Sports+ will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app – giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Stream The new EFL season, Test cricket and more top sport with NOW.
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