"Still a blockbuster" - Novak Djokovic gushes over "epic rivalry" with Rafael Nadal after defeating Spaniard in Paris Olympics 2024

Tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympics kicked off on Saturday, with Novak Djokovic representing Serbia for the fifth time in his career and Rafael Nadal representing Spain for the fourth time. On Monday, the two tennis greats faced off for the second time in the Olympic Games, and the Serb defeated the Spaniard 6-1, 6-4 in the second round of the singles category. Djokovic's next opponent at the Games will be 30-year-old German Dominic Koepfer.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner began his pursuit of gold on Saturday by defeating Australia's Matthew Ebden in the first round, while Nadal, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, won his first-round match against Marton Fucsovics.

Following the Djokovic-Nadal clash on Monday, the Serb posted a picture of himself and Nadal. In the caption, he expressed his delight that their rivalry "is still a blockbuster" and wished the Spaniard well for his doubles match scheduled on Tuesday, where Nadal will partner with Carlos Alcaraz against the Dutch duo Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof.

“Glad our epic rivalry is still a blockbuster, @rafaelnadal. Good luck in the doubles. Idemooo Srbija!” - the 37-year-old acaptioned

The first match between the two greats at the Olympics was when Rafael Nadal halted Djokovic's pursuit of gold in the semifinal of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Nadal went on to win the gold medal by defeating Fernando Gonzalez in the final, while the Serb beat James Blake to take home the bronze medal.

Novak Djokovic on his relationship with Rafael Nadal - “It has always been difficult to be close to each other”

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

After Djokovic's match against Nadal on Monday in the second round of the men's singles at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the Serb was asked by a reporter if a form of brotherhood exists between him and Rafael Nadal. In response, he said:

"No, there is no brotherhood. We are rivals and colleagues. In our situation, it has always been difficult to be close to each other because at this level, you can give a lot of information that might turn against you on the court. We have been sharing a part of our lives for a long time, and I would like our relationship to improve in the future. Both of us are very family-oriented, and our lives will change. Maybe we can share more things”

The Serb and Rafael Nadal have been at the top echelons of tennis for the past two decades, winning a cumulative 46 Grand Slam singles titles. They have now faced each other 60 times, with Djokovic leading their head-to-head tie 31-29.