Updated at 20.20
RAFAEL NADAL WILL play Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster second-round Olympic clash at Roland Garros after battling past Marton Fucsovics.
The two most successful male players of all time have played each other 59 times before, with Djokovic leading by one, but not since a quarter-final won by the Spaniard at the French Open two years ago.
Now they will meet on the same stage and for a second time at the Olympics, 16 years after Nadal edged a close contest in the semi-finals in Beijing.
There was a collective intake of breath when the draw placed the two old stagers so close together, and Djokovic needed less than an hour to see off alternate Matt Ebden on Saturday.
Nadal had been weighing up whether to play the match at all after concerns over a right thigh problem and a late finish to his doubles opener with Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday night.
But the draw of an 11th duel with Djokovic on the Parisian clay proved strong and Nadal, who missed Wimbledon to prepare for this event, gritted his way to a 6-1 4-6 6-4 victory against Hungarian Fucsovics.
Djokovic described the possibility of the match-up as “one last dance” after the draw and, speaking on Saturday, he said of the 14-time French Open champion: “Playing him is like finals for me.
“In any tournament and particularly here, knowing what he has achieved and what he’s done for our sport, particularly here in Roland Garros, his record speaks for itself.
“So I look forward to it. If we get to face each other, it’s going to be, possibly, the last time we face each other on a big stage, so I’m sure that people would enjoy it.”
Nadal, meanwhile, says Djokovic is the “clear favourite” this evening.
“Situations are completely different for him, for me,” the Spaniard said. “He’s being very competitive. I was not being very competitive for the last two years, so in that case, I think probably he is the clear favourite.
“I’m going to try my best to bring the best to the court and then let’s see how far I can go and how many problems I can create for him.”
Meanwhile, Andy Murray kept his tennis career alive in thrilling fashion at the Olympic Games on Sunday when he and partner Dan Evans saved five match points in their opening doubles match.
The former world number one and three-time Grand Slam title winner teamed up with Evans and clinched a 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 11-9 win over Japan’s Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori.
Murray, 37, a two-time singles gold medallist at the Olympics in 2012 and 2016, will retire from the sport once his Olympics is over.
- Additional reporting from – © AFP 2024
