Rafael Nadal books Novak Djokovic showdown at Paris 2024 Olympics for 60th meeting of two tennis legends
Two-time Olympic champion Rafael Nadal has booked a blockbuster meeting with fellow tennis legend Novak Djokovic after beating Marton Fucsovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in a gripping three-setter at Paris 2024.
Nadal, 38, and Djokovic will write a 60th – and potentially final – chapter of this epic rivalry in the men's singles second round at Roland Garros.
Djokovic narrowly leads their head-to-head 30-29, although it is two years since they last met, when Nadal won their quarter-final here in Paris.
The pair have won 46 Grand Slam singles titles between them, including 17 French Opens, with Spain’s Nadal dubbed the “King of Clay” having won 14 times on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Nadal – who beat Djokovic en route to singles gold at Beijing 2008 and then won the men’s doubles at Rio 2016 – beat Hungary’s Fucsovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 on Sunday, a day after winning his opening doubles match with Carlos Alcaraz.
For his part, Djokovic raced past Matthew Ebden on Saturday, with the Serbian aiming to add a first Olympic gold to his already glittering collection – the last major title still to elude the 37-year-old.
How Rafael Nadal overcame Marton Fucsovics test at Paris 2024
“Who says [it's the] last dance?” Nadal had remarked earlier this week, when asked about possibly meeting Djokovic in the second round.
Nadal remains coy on an exact retirement date, and while this Olympics could even prove to be his last-ever major event, a more pressing concern was the injury he was carrying into the singles.
The Spaniard has been nursing a thigh problem in Paris, and after his winning start with Alcaraz on Sunday he admitted he was unsure whether he would be fit to play against Fucsovics a day later.
But in the end, to the delight of the crowd in Paris, Nadal turned up to play at his second home.
Nadal may be from Spain but he is essentially an honorary Frenchman given his exploits at Roland Garros over the past two decades, and that was evident when he took the Olympic torch from Zinedine Zidane in Friday’s Opening Ceremony.
On that occasion Nadal braved the rain on a boat down the Seine, but on Sunday, Roland Garros was basked in sunshine as one of the greatest male players of all time walked out on Philippe-Chatrier to a huge ovation.
In Fucsovics, Nadal was facing the world number 83 and 2021 Wimbledon quarter-finalist for the very first time, adding another layer of intrigue to this spectacle.
After battling to hold his opening service game, Nadal broke Fucsovics and had this packed crowd gasping when a trademark forehand made it 3-0.
Fucsovics got on the board, but Nadal broke again before sealing a dominant first set 6-1 after 31 minutes.
The second set was then far from one-way traffic as Fucsovics bounced back to break in the second game, and he maintained his advantage by sending Nadal around the court.
It was a severe test of Nadal’s fitness, who had strapping on his right thigh, and he was forced to save two break points to deny Fucsovics a 5-1 lead.
Serving for the set at 5-3 up, Fucsovics felt the pressure, and after losing the point of the match to go 15-30 down, Nadal then brought up two break points, converting the first to bring it back on serve.
Fucsovics squandered two set points as Nadal clung on, but the Hungarian made no mistake with his third to snatch the set 6-4 and force a decider.
A nervy finale unfolded, with Fucsovics saving two break points in the third game before Nadal saved three himself in the very next game.
The crucial break followed, as Nadal edged ahead, battled to a hold shortly after, and converted his third match point to seal the match tennis fans around the world all wanted to see.