Rafael Nadal congratulates Novak Djokovic on Paris Olympics 2024 gold medal win after Serb crushes his own hopes

Rafael Nadal praised Novak Djokovic after the Serb scripted history by winning his maiden Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Spaniard's congratulations came despite his own medal hopes being dashed by his arch-rival in the French capital.

Djokovic aimed to add a gold to his Olympic medal tally, having won a bronze in Beijing in 2008 and falling short in London, Rio, and Tokyo. His long-awaited moment finally arrived on Sunday, August 4, when he defeated Spain's Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2), bringing glory to his country, Serbia.

On his way to the championship match, Djokovic defeated Australia's Matthew Ebden, Spain's Rafael Nadal, Germany's Dominik Koepfer, Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Italy's Lorenzo Musetti.

With the victory, the 24-time Grand Slam champion became just the fifth player to achieve the 'Golden Slam' in singles—winning all four majors and the Olympic title—joining the ranks of Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi, and Steffi Graf.

Novak Djokovic's exploits received acclaim from the entire tennis community, including Nadal. Despite having his own medal hopes dashed by the Serb—possibly in his final Olympic appearance—the Spaniard showed immense sportsmanship by taking to Instagram Stories to congratulate his arch-rival.

"Congrats Novak on completing the (Career) Golden Slam and being able to achieve what you wanted. Well done," the 22-time Major champion wrote.

Rafael Nadal via Instagram Stories

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Rafael Nadal "recognizes" Novak Djokovic's "superiority" after Paris Olympics 2024 loss

Rafael Nadal (L) and Novak Djokovic pictured at the 2024 Paris Olympics (Source: Getty)

Rafael Nadal spoke to reporters after losing to Novak Djokovic in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympics. He admitted that he wasn't expecting much since he was unsure of his form and readiness to play at a high level. However, he praised Djokovic for displaying a "high level" of tennis.

"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," Nadal said.

The 38-year-old also acknowledged Djokovic's "superiority" and praised him for displaying a "high level" of tennis.

"You have to congratulate Novak for the high level he has shown. It's easy to analyse. I didn't play at the level I needed to in order to create problems for him," he said.

"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," he added.

Nadal also had a chance to win a medal in doubles, teaming up with young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. The duo played exceptionally well for a first-time partnership and reached the quarterfinals before falling short to the USA's Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.