Paris Olympics: Rafael Nadal concedes defeat against Novak Djokovic in second round
Jul 29, 2024
Paris [France], July 29 : Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal suffered a defeat against Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic in the men's singles second round match at the Paris Olympics on Monday.
Djokovic beat Nadal 6-1, 6-4 in the men's singles second round game at the Court Philippe-Chatrier.
In the second set, Nadal bounced back by clinching more points on the first serve and a higher break point conversion rate. However, Djokovic kept his nerves and won the second set 6-4.
The pair had faced off during the semifinals at the Beijing Olympics back in 2008, where Nadal triumphed over the Serbian and claimed the gold. Djokovic had to settle for a bronze medal. Nadal also has an Olympic gold in men's doubles, having won it along with Marc Lopez in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Before the Olympics, Djokovic had lost to young, up-and-coming Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon finals.
The Spaniard dominated the game from the very first moment and won his second consecutive Wimbledon in straight sets by beating the Serbian 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) at the centre court in London.
Nadal on the other hand, lost to seventh-seeded Portugal tennis player Nuno Borges in the final of the Nordea Open on Sunday. He lost 6-3, 6-2. This was his first final in around two years.
Nadal is also participating in the men's doubles competition along with Alcaraz, who is also playing in the men's singles competition. The duo clinched a win over Argentina's Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6 (7:4), 6-4 in their campaign opener.
