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Novak Djokovic - Wimbledon 2024 and Rafael Nadal - Roland Garros 2024
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Novak Djokovic reacts to ‘exciting’ potential Olympics clash with Rafael Nadal


Novak Djokovic has reacted to the Paris Olympics draw, after it was revealed that he could play rival Rafael Nadal in the second round.

Djokovic has arrived in the French capital in a bid for a gold medal, one of the only prizes in tennis that has eluded the Serbian’s decorated career.

And the 24-time Grand Slam champion appears ready to go after the disappointment of losing a second consecutive Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz, “I am very excited. I think the Olympic Games are a very important event. I can’t wait to represent my country. I have great expectations for this tournament. I lost in the semi-finals in Tokyo and I will try to improve on the results of three years ago.”

The 37-year-old continued, “The tennis calendar is very busy. I decided to play Wimbledon despite the meniscus problem also to prepare for this tournament. I am sure I will be able to show my worth.

“I feel good compared to and more ready than I was before Wimbledon. I had many opportunities to win gold and now I have to start taking advantage of them. The fact that I am not the bookmakers’ favorite is just a motivation for me. The Olympic Games have always been a great challenge for me. I have focused all my preparation on this tournament. I think I will adapt immediately to the conditions of Roland Garros since we played there two months ago.”

The Paris Olympics will be only Djokovic’s second tournament back after undergoing meniscus surgery, that was required after injuring his right knee in the Roland Garros fourth round against Francisco Cerundolo.

Djokovic was also asked about his ‘big four’ rivals Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, with the latter confirming that the Paris Games will be his final tournament.

Nadal and Djokovic are currently on a collision course to meet in the second round, something that the top seed appears to be looking forward to the prospect of.

“I am aware that an era is ending with Nadal and Murray’s retirements after the Games. I think my career is also coming to an end, but I believe that there are and will be tennis players capable of taking on the burden of being the best,” explained Djokovic. “It would be exciting to play against Nadal in the second round.”

If Djokovic is to set up that dream meeting with Nadal he will have to get past doubles specialist Matthew Ebden, while the Spaniard faces Marton Fucsovics in the first round.

Inside the baseline…

Everyone knows how much Novak Djokovic wants to win that gold medal for Serbia, and this draw has just made it even more interesting for the World No.2. After Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal, Djokovic is the top seed and everyone has their eyes set up on that potential second round match with Rafael Nadal. While Djokovic is expected to make it their, Nadal has a much trickier first round opponent in Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.

READ NEXT: Andy Murray confirms singles withdrawal from Paris Olympics

Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal head-to-head

Djokovic and Nadal have had one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history, and we at Tennishead wanted to lookback on their overall head-to-head compared to their numerous meetings on the dirt.

Djokovic vs Nadal Overall Head-to-head: 30-29

Djokovic vs Nadal on Clay: 8-20

Djokovic vs Nadal at Roland Garros: 2-8

Djokovic vs Nadal at the Olympic Games: 0-1 (Beijing 2008 – Hard Court)

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Matthew Johns, Tennishead Writer, is a professional tennis journalist with a specialist degree in Sports Journalism. He's a keen tennis player having represented his local club and University plus he's also a qualified tennis coach. Matthew has a deep knowledge of tennis especially the ATP Tour and thrives on breaking big tennis news stories for Tennishead.