Rafael Nadal claims 60th match with Djokovic will be 'more difficult'

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal - Roland Garros 2024

July 29, 2024

ATP Tennis Players, Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Tennis News, Tennis Tournaments

Rafael Nadal suggests Olympic match with Novak Djokovic will be ‘much more difficult’ than previous encounters

Rafael Nadal has won his first singles match on Court Philippe-Chatrier since the 2022 Roland Garros final, setting up a blockbuster second round clash with rival Novak Djokovic.

Nadal battled to a three set victory over Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, winning 6-1 4-6 6-4, in 2 hours and 32 minutes.

There were concerns over whether Nadal would even play this match, after himself and coach Carlos Moya had spoken about potentially just focussing on doubles due to struggling with some pain in his right leg that was heavily bandaged on court.

However, the 38-year-old appears pleased with his performance and described the match with Fucsovics as a good test, “Well, I’m facing my body. As good as I can? It’s not easy, but if there’s a place that you have to give it your all, then it’s here.

“It was a long match but at the same time, it was a good test. The good thing is, I was able to play at a good level of tennis for a while, so that always gives me hope, and then the negative stuff is I was not able to hold that great level. So let’s see tomorrow, another story and another kind of opponent.”

Nadal will now face great rival Djokovic in their first meeting since the 2022 Roland Garros quarter-final, where the Spaniard was the victor.

Paris, 2006: 20-year-old Nadal faces 19-year-old Djokovic for the very first time

Paris, 2024: Back in the same city, 38-year-old Nadal faces 37-year-old Djokovic for a 60th time

Timeless. pic.twitter.com/WCoFhW8ubd

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 28, 2024

Despite the obvious hype surrounding the match, Nadal has played down the comparisons to previous encounters and explained that his current physical situation makes it ‘much more difficult’.

“[We are in] different situations in our careers. He’s coming from being in the final of a Grand Slam, and I’m coming without being very competitive in the last two years,” claimed Nadal. “Let’s see, it’s in a special place. I’m just going to try to give my best and enjoy it as much as possible.”

The two-time Olympic gold medallist continued, “It has always been super special to play against Novak. No doubt about that, but the difference is normally we have been playing for finals or semi-finals but, this is the second round. Of course, it’s the Olympics, every match is super special playing in the Olympics.

“But it’s true that every single match I played against Novak, or almost every single match I played against him, I was in a different situation than I am today, so that makes it much more difficult for me. I’m more unpredictable now, but I always have hope, I always believe, and I want to give my best.”

Nadal and Djokovic will play their 60th match against one another second on Court Philippe-Chatrier this afternoon.

Inside the baseline…

It is great that Rafael Nadal has been able to set up this meeting with Novak Djokovic, as we did not know if they would ever play again. Hopefully Nadal pulls up okay after a fairly intense match yesterday and is able to participate against the top seed, in what will probably be a different sort of match than we are used to. It will be strange seeing Djokovic as the heavy favourite on this occasion, as Nadal has nearly always been the dominant force in their rivalry on clay.

Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic head-to-head

Nadal and Djokovic have had one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history, and we at Tennishead wanted to lookback on their fascinating head-to-head ahead of the highly anticipated 60th meeting:

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

Nadal vs Djokovic on Clay: 20-8

Nadal vs Djokovic at Roland Garros: 8-2

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