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PARIS — Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4 in the second round of the 2024 Paris Open. Olympic Men’s singles at Roland Garros on Monday.
In the 60th meeting between the two greatest tennis players of all time, with 46 Grand Slam titles between them, Djokovic relentlessly challenged Nadal, posing the biggest test for Nadal’s level since he beat Djokovic in the quarterfinals on this court in 2022 to win the French Open.
Despite a surprising stretch in which Nadal was back to his old self in the fourth game of the second set, exploiting the scars he has inflicted on Djokovic over the years, the Serb rallied to close out the second set.
The loss leaves Djokovic and Nadal with a 31-29 record against each other, prolonging their quest for the only major honour in tennis that remains to be won: an Olympic gold medal.
Athletic Writers Charlie Eccleshare and Matt Futerman analyze the match and what it means.
How Djokovic used the drop shot to show his ruthless play.
For nearly everyone who watched as this once great rivalry suddenly turned into an unfavorable match, it was hard not to feel sympathy for Nadal.
But that hasn’t been the case for Djokovic, and for good reason: Not only has he had to win an Olympic gold medal, but he’s also suffered more heartbreak on this court than any other player, losing to Nadal eight times.
Djokovic could have won no matter how Nadal played. While Nadal never got to the level of form necessary to face a Wimbledon finalist, Djokovic made sure to exploit the 14-time French Open champion’s most glaring weaknesses time and time again. Djokovic ruthlessly exploited Nadal’s movement with a series of devastating drop shots, and while Nadal trailed by a few shots, there were plenty of others where Djokovic just wasn’t close.
Djokovic was able to manipulate Nadal all over Court Philippe Chatrier (Juanjo Martin/Sipa USA)
Nadal’s first-round opponent, Marton Fucsovics, also tried the tactic. It’s a pretty obvious tactic against a 38-year-old player battling injuries, but Djokovic’s drop shot is in a league of its own against the Hungarian. The same shot had put Djokovic in a bind against Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final earlier this month. This time, he enjoyed being the one to inflict punishment rather than receive it. He used the drop shot to restore order and take a 5-4 lead in the second set after Nadal made the match more competitive.
Charlie Eccleshare
Summarizing the two years into one point
Nadal’s biggest problem in this latest, and likely final, comeback is a weakness in his serve. Initially, it was the weakest part of his game, but he’s worked hard to turn it into a weapon, learning how to twist his body to maximize his power and the pinpoint placement that makes many of his next shots even more lethal.
Core and back injuries over the past two years have contributed to his major decline, and against the greatest returner in the history of the sport, that was clearly going to be an issue.
A warning that the afternoon could be awful for Nadal came in the first game, when he faced a break point and smashed a 115 mph serve into the middle of the court, one of Nadal’s toughest serves of the day, one that would have gone unreturned against most players.
Nadal’s serve could not threaten Djokovic’s famous return (Jari Pestelacci/Eurasia Sport Images via Getty Images)
Djokovic stretched out for it and smashed a forehand at Nadal’s feet, who hit it into the net and wide, and Djokovic never relinquished the advantage. It was a microcosm of Nadal’s afternoon: too many soft serves, too many difficult returns, too many errors on balls he didn’t have time to prepare for.
Matt Futterman
How did Nadal win four straight games?
With Djokovic leading 6-1, 4-0, Nadal’s biggest hope was to avoid losing a bagel set to the Serb for the first time in his career.
He held serve to win 4-1 and everyone at Chatrier breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Then things got a little weird. Djokovic, who had been solid from start to finish, played a terrible game, double-faulting on break point to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Perhaps it was a minor aberration, but at 4-3, Djokovic suddenly had to deal with scoreboard pressure for the first time in a match — and not just any pressure from anyone, but the greatest clay-court player of all time and his greatest rival.
Nadal regained his form for parts of the second set, but it wasn’t enough (Getty Images)
Suddenly, it was Nadal using drop shots to take Djokovic to his feet, not the other way around, and Djokovic was missing routine shots. Djokovic’s tension was most painfully evident when Nadal missed a smash to easily break with a forehand to make it 4-4, a shot that has plagued Djokovic so many times before.
What happened? Nadal certainly stepped up, but it seemed like a rare case of Djokovic feeling the heat on a sweaty Paris day. And sure enough, the spell was broken when Djokovic broke to lead 5-4 in the next game. Djokovic then served out the match, leaving those desperate for the match to go down to a deciding point to wonder what could have been.
Charlie Eccleshare
Great tennis court, not great stage
The atmosphere at Palace Philippe Chatrier was that of a major event.
Blue skies. Hot sun. Standing-room only crowds.
Nadal and Djokovic battling it out on the court.
What unfolded was typical of a Djokovic second-round match, not just in the way the score was lopsided, but in the way Djokovic dominated his opponent. And as happens so often with those unlucky players, that’s what happened to Nadal on Monday afternoon.
Djokovic neutralised Nadal’s serve, forcing him to retreat rather than advance further up the court.
Court Philippe Chatrier was the scene of one of these two greatest matches. (Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
He forced Nadal to hit extra balls, and Nadal, like the rest of us wretches, tried to hit perfect shots from nearly impossible positions on the court. All afternoon, Nadal swung wildly a few feet back from the baseline, trying to hit winners from outside the sidelines. In a normal match, at his best, he might hit a few winners, but not many.
Djokovic, on the other hand, served well and advanced, surviving shots and hitting easy shots on balls near the service line. He made minimal errors, mainly because he didn’t force his opponent to take shots from error-prone spots on the court.
It all added up to a great match, but apart from some great points and some late flourishes, it wasn’t really tennis, even though Nadal was down 4-1 in the second set. That’s pretty much how Djokovic’s second round played out.
Matt Futterman
What will happen to Nadal in doubles?
Given that Nadal was off the pace for much of the match, it’s understandable that some may be worried about whether he’ll be able to achieve much in the doubles match with Carlos Alcaraz.
But doubles is a very different game to playing against a powerhouse like Djokovic in singles and, assuming he doesn’t suffer any new injuries, Nadal should still be competitive to rival the Wimbledon and French Open champion.
As Andy Murray showed on Sunday night, he’s far from ready to compete in singles, but he can thrive in doubles. Nadal is in much better shape than Murray, so hopefully he’ll be in high spirits and feeling the joy — and so will the rest of the tennis world, eager to see Nadal make more memories at the venue where he has been so dominant for the past two decades.
Going deeper
How Andy Murray survived five match points in Paris and saved his tennis career
Charlie Eccleshare
What did Rafael Nadal say after the match?
We bring you his comments after his media appearance.
What did Novak Djokovic say after the match?
“I may have been a little too comfortable and my service games became sloppy.
“You can’t give Nadal any chances. He’ll take advantage of them and come back, especially on this court.”
“I think there was a lot of attention on the tennis court for today’s match. It’s unfortunate that he wasn’t at his best, but I did everything I could to make him nervous.”
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(Top photo: Andrzej Iwanczuk / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
