Watch: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic greet each other during practice at the Italian Open

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are currently competing at the Italian Open. Since both players are seeded in the top eight, they received a bye in the first round and made use of the opportunity to get in some additional practice.

After a couple of training sessions alone, the World No. 1 and the Mallorcan practiced with different partners over the course of the last two days. Yesterday's practice schedule saw the 21-time Grand Slam champion train with Stefanos Tsitsipas, while Djokovic hit with Casper Ruud.

Both sessions were scheduled on Court No. 5, mere hours apart from each other. Nadal was slated to practice at 10:30 am local time and the Serb at 12:30 pm. Ruud and Djokovic arrived just as the first practice was drawing to a close, leading to a wonderful embrace between the Serb and Nadal.

The World No. 1 shook hands first with Tsitsipas before going on to do the same with the Spaniard, much to the delight of the crowd who had gathered to catch sight of their favorites.

Novak Djokovic has sailed into the third round in Rome, Rafael Nadal awaits John Isner in his opener

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal could meet in the semifinals of the 2022 Italian Open

Novak Djokovic took on Aslan Karatsev in his opener at the Italian Open and cruised to a straight-sets win. The World No. 1 won 6-3, 6-2 and will take on either countryman Laslo Djere or Stan Wawrinka in the next round.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion leads the head-to-head against both players (1-0 against Djere and 19-6 against Wawrinka.) However, the Serb has lost his last two meetings against the Swiss.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal will begin his campaign against John Isner. The American beat Francisco Cerundolo in the first round 6-4, 6-3. The 21-time Grand Slam champion has a 7-1 lead in the head-to-head against Isner, losing to him only at the 2017 Laver Cup.

Nadal has won all four of their encounters on clay till date and will be the favorite to book his spot in the third round. A win against the World No. 27 would pit the 35-year-old against 13th seed Denis Shapovalov.

If the seeds hold, Nadal and Djokovic will cross swords in the semifinals, their first meeting since the semifinals of the 2021 Roland Garros, where the World No. 1 won in four sets.

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Also Check Out :-Italian Open 2022 Results