MBN

SPORTS

Nadal: Rafael Nadal's Paris 2024 Olympics exit to Novak Djokovic a hear...

New Brockton football player died: Access Denied...
Published Time: 29.07.2024 - 23:17:16 Modified Time: 29.07.2024 - 23:17:16

The crowd — consigned to the belief that the match was over — was on its feet, roaring in delight at the slow-burn classic developing in front of its eyes. Nadal, Nadal vs Djokovic, Djokovic, Novak Djokovic, djokovic vs nadal, nadal vs djokovic olympics 2024


For an hour, it looked nothing like what had hoped for.

The crowd — consigned to the belief that the match was over — was on its feet, roaring in delight at the slow-burn classic developing in front of its eyes.

Nadal was up and , the 38-year-old displaying the enthusiasm and belligerence of the new guard.

For five brilliant games in the second set, everything had changed.

June 2006, was a seismic period for the nation of Serbia.

It was on June 3 that Montenegro formally declared its independence, one of the final pieces to break away from the disintegrated former state of Yugoslavia.

Far less importantly, but just days later, an unseeded Serbian tennis player met the defending French Open champion in a quarterfinal on the red clay of Roland-Garros.

It was an inauspicious appearance for the fledgling Serb, who retired injured after losing the first two sets 6-4, 6-4.

Who could have possibly foreseen that some 18 years later, those two players would be back here for the 60th time in their dominant careers, in a contest that was one of the most eagerly anticipated of the Games.

Djokovic won this one 6-1, 6-4, sealing the result with an ace as he saw off a furious Nadal comeback that had Court Phillippe-Chatrier rocking to its sparkling foundations.

This is a rivalry that has gone full circle, from the tallest peaks to the lowest canyons, encircling the globe countless times, being played out on courts at all four corners of the world.

Of course there is no doubt who holds status as the fan favourite in this part of the tennis world.

The roar that greeted Nadal's presentation to the court was befitting that of a champion, although it was almost matched by that of world number two Djokovic, such is the respect he has earned.

But nowhere is Nadal more revered than at Roland-Garros, a place he has won a record 14 singles titles, losing just four matches out of 116 played.

Want more? Here's the full list of all our Olympics stories

The Spaniard's record highlights an incomparable level of brilliance in an era where three of the greatest players of all time have regularly battled out for the majors.

This is the 11th time this pair have met on the famous clay at the home of the French Open but the first since Nadal's quarterfinal victory in 2022.

But in the unfamiliar territory of the second-round match — never before have these two met earlier than a quarterfinal, apart from in tournaments with round-robin phases — this may well be the last time we will ever see these two warriors crossing racquets in a competitive contest.

Over the past two decades there has not been a tougher assignment in sport than meeting Nadal on clay, especially at his home away from home.

But these are different times, with Nadal ranked 161st in the world.

"[We are in] different situations in our careers," Nadal said after his battling three-set performance against Márton Fucsovics in the first round.

"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. 

"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.

"I'm more unpredictable now, but I always have hope, I always believe and I want to give my best."

There was not a spare seat in the house for this historic moment, a crowd filled more in hope than expectation that they would bear witness to another classic chapter to close this novel of a rivalry.

There is a quote from Roland Garros, the pioneering French aviator after whom the entire complex is named, adorning the break between tiers either side of the Court Phillippe-Chatrier.

"La victoire appartient au plus opiniâtre," which translates to "victory belongs to the most tenacious".

It's a saying that sums up the way Nadal played for years.

Going 40-0 down in the opening game, Nadal roared back to deuce, each point bringing with it a cheer of increasing ferocity, as if the crowd knew their favourite and his his ailing body needed everything that they could give him. 

At 0-30 down in his first service game the same thing happened, the cheers raising their intensity as Nadal seemingly found that familiar grove on the clay surface he made his own.

The first chant of "Rafa!" cascaded from the precipitous stands came as he pulled things back to 30-30, with some vintage shots from vintage men drawing thrilled gasps from the crowd.

But Nadal lost that game too, broken for the first of two times in that set and 4-0 down in the blink of an eye.

Because while Nadal's best years are a long way behind him, Djokovic is still at the level where he can reach the finals of majors.

Nadal, whose 38-year-old body is betraying its user with crushing regularity — the latest issue is a troublesome right thigh, heavily strapped — has played just 18 matches all year, including this one, winning 11.

It took 35 minutes and six games for Nadal to get on the board, a feat that earned him a standing ovation.

For all the latest on and off court, join Catherine Murphy, John Millman and John Alexander for the ABC Tennis Podcast on ABC listen.

There had been suggestions Nadal would forgo a chance in the singles to focus on his doubles chances with Carlos Alcaraz, especially after having withdrawn from a practise session with Alexander Zverev last week and a late-night finish to the doubles on Saturday.

But this, one last fight with as worthy an adversary as has ever existed, was too much to ignore — and the crowd loved him for it, especially as both he and Djokovic rolled back the years, displaying the verve, skill and fitness that has bought them a combined 46 major singles titles.

Djokovic too has been marked by the scars of a gruelling career, the knee that he had surgery on just last month, prior to his Wimbledon run, encased in a grey brace.

But for just over an hour he was dominant, a cut above in the brilliant, baking sunshine. 

Nadal could show glimpses, but they were just that, dappled rays of fading light through the branches of old age.

Those shadows lengthened and the brilliant moments evaporated as the sun sank lower on both the match and what has been a truly wonderful career.

Every unforced error broke the hearts of the devotees in the crowd, their cheers losing their intensity as the inevitability of this depressingly one-sided mismatch was realised.

A brief flurry, Nadal breaking Djokovic on a double fault, perhaps showed muscle memory from the majority of their previous 59 matches, an expectation that the match should be taught, frenzied and tense.

That break gave Nadal some belief, shots flew off his strings with a crispness of a decade ago. 

ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines.

The crowd roused itself again with a battery of cheers, and suddenly it was 4-4.

Belief surged like a current through the spectators, but as he so often does, Djokovic dug into that well of resilience that has served him so well as the unloved member of the greatest trio of men's tennis players the world has ever seen.

A cupping of the ear to the crowd after Djokovic broke Nadal to make it 5-4 drew boos, but that aggression and arrogance is what Djokovic needs in order to summon his best.

The end result was deserved for Djokovic, who was relentlessly brilliant throughout the match, those four games at the end aside, and it is he who advances.

"It has always been special, during all my tennis career," Nadal said, speaking of playing at Roland-Garros.

"Every moment that I was able to play on this court has been special by itself."

The likelihood is that Nadal has been hanging on for this moment, this one last chance at glory at the first claycourt venue the Olympics have been played on since Barcelona in 1992. 

"Of course, I know that it's maybe the last time that I will play here. Maybe not. I can't confirm that because I don't know," Nadal has previously said of his future.

"I really feel very loved from the French crowd and I enjoy the fact that I'm able to keep playing [at] this age and have these unforgettable feelings on court, feeling the support and the love of the ."

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander s as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.

This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, , AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.

SPORTS