By: Ben  Xu

July 29, 2024 — Novak Djokovic, this year’s Wimbledon finalist, defeated Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Paris Olympics. The rivalry between these two tennis legends suddenly became a mismatch.

The first set of the game began with Djokovic hitting flawless shots at Nadal and precluding his opponent from winning. Djokovic trounced Nadal in the first set with a score of 6-1. In the next set, Djokovic continued to obliterate Nadal till the score was 4-0. Out of nowhere, Djokovic began to make mistakes, and Nadal won his first game of the set. Suddenly, from a 4-0 deficit, Nadal slowly rose from the ashes and tied the game at 4-4. Djokovic finally felt the pressure of the close game and carefully won the following two games.

Rafael Nadal’s tremendous downfall was due to his many injuries. Previously a master on the French Courts, having won the French Open 14 times, Nadal has become a sluggish tennis player after serious injury.

The downfall suggests that retirement draws closer and closer for the legend. “I have been suffering a lot of ­injuries the last two years,” Nadal said. “So if I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going or physically I’m not ready to keep going, I will stop and I will let you know. But I don’t think every day about if I am retiring or not.”

Djokovic, on the other hand, continues his quest for his first Olympic gold medal. He goes onto the third round, where he may use his aggressive attacking skills to beat others, as he did to Nadal.

Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5665535/2024/07/29/rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-olympics-tennis/?source=nyt_sports
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/29/novak-djokovic-holds-off-rafael-nadals-fightback-to-progress
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5636272/2024/07/14/carlos-alcaraz-novak-djokovic-wimbledon-final/