PARIS: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic could clash in a highly anticipated second-round match at the Paris Olympics.
Roland Garros, where Nadal has won the French Open title 14 times, will be the venue for the next ten days, marking the first time since 1992 that Olympic tennis has been played on clay.
Carlos Alcaraz, who also partners Nadal in the doubles, is the favorite to win gold for Spain, especially after the withdrawal of Jannik Sinner. However, both Nadal and Djokovic would be aiming for deep runs.
If top seed Djokovic beats Australia’s Matthew Ebden and Nadal gets past Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in their first-round matches, the two rivals will meet in the second round.
The pair have met 59 times over the past 18 years, with Djokovic leading the way with 30 wins. They last met at the 2022 French Open, with Nadal winning the quarter-final encounter and the Spaniard holding a 20-8 advantage on clay.
If there is a second-round matchup, it will not be the first time they have met on the Olympic stage, with Nadal defeating Djokovic in Beijing 2008 en route to men’s singles gold.
The 38-year-old missed the grass court season this year to prepare for the Olympics and returned after a two-month absence last week when he reached the final of the Swedish Open.
Djokovic won bronze in 2008 but finished fourth in London and Tokyo and will surely see this as his last chance to capture the Olympic gold that has so far eluded him.
It could easily have been Andy Murray against Djokovic in the first round in Paris. The Briton opted to withdraw from the singles to prioritize his doubles with Dan Evans and was replaced in the draw by Ebden, who now faces the daunting task of facing the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
