"It was a beating" - Rafael Nadal 'accepts' Novak Djokovic's superiority after Paris Olympics 2R defeat

Rafael Nadal gave Novak Djokovic his flowers after losing to the Serb in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympics, admitting that he was superior to him on the day. Despite a mini-comeback in the second set, Nadal fell 1-6, 4-6 on Court Philippe-Chartrier to bring an end to his singles campaign in Paris.

Speaking to reporters after the loss, the 22-time Grand Slam champion emphasized that the result was not surprising to him and that he had known his level wouldn't be at the best. Nadal, for the record, had to play on Saturday as well as Sunday at the Olympics (doubles match with Carlos Alcaraz, followed by singles opener against Marton Fucsovics). Djokovic, on the other hand, played on Saturday in his opener against Matthew Ebden, and then had Sunday to recover.

Nadal conceded that he got a 'beating' from Djokovic, adding that he had no choice but to accept the result. At one point in the battle, the Spaniard trailed 1-6, 0-4 before coming back up to a more respectable scoreline.

The southpaw also praised Djokovic for his relentless attacking on the day, stating that he never gave him a break and constantly kept pushing him to difficult positions.

"What could happen has happened. I said it yesterday. It was a match in which I didn't know if I was ready to play at a certain level and I wasn't. It was a beating for a long time. You have to accept it as such and not hide it. You have to congratulate Novak for the high level he has shown," Nadal said.

"He didn't give me a break and I didn't make it difficult for him. I didn't push him back. He was playing very comfortably, in easy positions for him and against a player like Novak I am not able to push him back and I am not able to defend like I did years ago, because you lose like you have lost," he added.

The former World No. 1 made note of his opponent's 'superiority' on the court, and hailed him for his near-flawless level for most of the match.

"It's easy to analyse. I didn't play at the level I needed to in order to create problems for him. He was at a high level, without making any mistakes. I also think I made it easy for him. You have to recognise the superiority of the rival and also that I didn't play as I should have," Nadal said.

"I raised my level a bit but I was tired" - Rafael Nadal on his mini-comeback in the second set against Novak Djokovic in their Paris Olympics 2R battle

Tennis - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 3 - Source: Getty

During the press interaction, Rafael Nadal also spoke about the mini-comeback he made in the second set, going from 0-4 down to 4-4. The Mallorcan admitted that he raised the level a bit, but lamented that he got tired after that, leading to a break of serve again.

Regardless, Nadal maintained that Djokovic operated at a higher level than him throughout the match, despite some occasional nerves towards the end.

"There was a bit of a reaction in the second set. I raised my level a bit and he started to make a few more mistakes, but I was tired and at 4-4 it was a key game to be able to change the situation. He was at a higher level than me," Nadal said.

"At that moment, I managed to generate a change and he felt a bit nervous about winning. I gave a bit more, but I felt a bit tired and I served against the wind. I had chances to generate a change to dream, but I wasn't able to," he added.

Up next, Nadal will feature in the doubles with Carlos Alcaraz, where the duo take on Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof in the second round.