Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal to stay on track for gold. GETTY IMAGES

Rafael Nadal bid farewell to his fans with blown kisses as he exited the Philippe Chatrier court on Monday, 29 July. The two-time Olympic gold medalist was defeated by his longtime rival Novak Djokovic, 6-1, 6-4, in the second round of the Paris 2024 singles competition.

In their 60th head-to-head clash, Djokovic showcased his top form, nearly steamrolling Nadal at Stade Roland Garros, where Nadal had previously claimed 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles. Despite Nadal's impressive record on this court, it was Djokovic's day to shine, delivering a near-perfect performance.

Djokovic's comprehensive victory over Nadal was particularly sweet, considering past Olympic encounters. Nadal had previously bested Djokovic in the 2008 Beijing semi-finals en route to his singles gold and later won men's doubles gold at Rio 2016.

Spectators witnessed a rare second-round face-off between the two tennis legends, with Djokovic seeking his first Olympic gold and Nadal aiming for his third. This match, potentially the last Olympic encounter for both players, featured a combined 46 Grand Slam singles titles.



Despite his reputation as the "King of Clay," Nadal struggled against Djokovic, who holds three of his 24 major titles in Paris. Trailing 5-0 in the first set, Nadal desperately searched for solutions, his usually fierce serve faltering under Djokovic's relentless returns. Nadal finally held serve in the sixth game, but Djokovic quickly closed out the set.

“At 6-1, 4-0, I got a little bit too comfortable," Djokovic said. "At 4-1, I played a little sloppy service game and you can’t give any chances to Nadal because he is going to use them and come back. Especially on this court."

"The crowd got involved but it was a crucial game at 4-4, trying to break his serve and then serve against the wind with new balls. It was a very close encounter but I am very pleased with the way I played.”




Men's singles results

In today's men's singles action at the Paris 2024 Olympics, several notable matches unfolded. On Court Suzanne-Lenglen, Norway's Casper Ruud showcased his resilience by overcoming Italy's Andrea Vavassori. After dropping the first set 4-6, Ruud bounced back to win 6-4, 6-3. 

On Court Simonne Mathieu, Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina fought hard to defeat France's Ugo Humbert, with Cerundolo winning 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-5. Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas also delivered a dominant performance, easily dispatching Great Britain's Daniel Evans 6-1, 6-2.

Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Great Britain's Daniel Evans. GETTY IMAGES
Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Great Britain's Daniel Evans. GETTY IMAGES

On Court 6, Germany's Dominik Koepfer, despite losing the first set 6-3, managed to turn the match around, winning 6-2 and 6-3, in the second and third sets, respectively against Italy's Matteo Arnaldi.

Meanwhile, Court 12 saw Roman Safiullin, competing as a neutral Russian athlete, secure a decisive win over Argentina's Tomas Etcheverry with a score of 6-0, 7-6(1).

Later in the day Argentina's Sebastian Baez knocked out Benjamin Hassan on Court 14 as a tight contest between the Dutch Tallon Griekspoor and Carlos Alcaraz ended with the spoils going to Spain's recent Wimbledon winner after a tiebreak.

Men's doubles results

In today's men's doubles at the Paris 2024 Olympics, several key matches unfolded. On Court 8, Italy’s Luciano Darderi and Lorenzo Musetti suffered defeat losing 6-3 and 10-5 in the third set despite managing to take the second set 7-6 against Chile’s Nicolas Jarry and Alejandro Tabilo.

Czech duo of Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlasek overcame Great Britain's Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 on Court 11. On Court 12, Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro and Thiago Seyboth Wild won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik and Aleksandr Nedovyesov.



On Court 14, the American pair of Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul got past the Canadian team of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Milos Raonic 7-6 after a tie-break in the first set, before then following it up with a 6-4 win in the second set.

The other American duo Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram then overcame Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin of Australia in just two sets. 

Later in the day Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands then knocked out Argentinian pair Tomas Etcheverry and Mariano Navone in two sets, winning both on tiebreaks.

Belgium's Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen ended host nation hopes in the Men's Doubles knocking out France duo Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert in two sets before Day Three doubles matches were rounded off with Germany's double Dominik Koepfer and Jan-Lennard Struff overcoming Croatian pair Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.


Coco Gauff glides Maria Lourdes Carle, as Iga Swiatek sweeps to victory over Dian Parry

Coco Gauff delivered a dominant performance, defeating Argentina's Maria Lourdes Carle with a convincing 6-1, 6-1 victory in the Round of 32 on Court Simonne Mathieu. Gauff's powerful serves and groundstrokes left Carle struggling to keep up, marking a strong showing for the American star.

Iga Swiatek, the top seed, also advanced with ease, securing a 6-1, 6-1 win over France's Diane Parry. Swiatek's consistency and precision were on full display, as she controlled the match from start to finish.

USA's Coco Gauff defeated Maria Lourdes Carle of France. GETTY IMAGES
USA's Coco Gauff defeated Maria Lourdes Carle of France. GETTY IMAGES

Women's singles results

In other results, Jasmine Paolini from Italy defeated Poland's Magda Linette 6-4, 6-1. Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova won against Xinyu Wang of China 6-3, 6-2. Croatia's Donna Vekic overcame Bianca Andreescu of Canada 6-3, 6-4. Emma Navarro from the USA triumphed over Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1. 

There were also wins for Canada's Leylah Fernandez who beat Spain's Cristina Bucsa 7-6(4), 6-3. Camila Osorio from Colombia edged past Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 7-6(4), 6-4. China's Xiyu Wang defeated Russian athlete Diana Shnaider 6-3, 6-1. Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova beat Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-4, 6-4.

There was a win for Canada's Leylah Fernandez who beat Spain's Cristina Bucsa. GETTY IMAGES
There was a win for Canada's Leylah Fernandez who beat Spain's Cristina Bucsa. GETTY IMAGES

Qinwen Zheng from China bested Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-4. Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk emerged victorious over France's Clara Burel 7-6(3), 6-2. Germany's Angelique Kerber won a hard-fought match against Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Greece's Maria Sakkari defeated China's Yue Yuan 6-2, 6-1.

Danielle Collins secured victory in her match against Caroline Wozniacki with set scores of 3-6, 6-3, and 6-3 before the last game of the day between USA's Jessica Pegula and Ukraine's Elina Svitolina saw the Ukrainian fight back from losing the first set 6-4 to win 1-6 and 3-6.


Women's doubles results

In today's women's doubles at the Paris 2024 Olympics, several standout performances were on display. On Court 6, Argentina’s Maria Lourdes Carle and Nadia Podoroska defeated Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch and Tatjana Maria 6-3, 6-0. Court 7 saw Spain's Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes Tormo defeat Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti and Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-2.

The Ukrainian twins Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok won 6-1, 6-4 against China’s Xinyu Wang and Saisai Zheng on Court 8, while Italy’s Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini triumphed over New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and Lulu Sun 6-2, 6-3 on Court 9.

Court 10 featured a thrilling comeback by France's Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry, who overcame the Netherlands' Arantxa Rus and Demi Schuurs after losing the first set, winning 6-7(2), 6-3, 10-4.



Court 11 saw China’s Yue Yuan and Shuai Zhang suffer defeat against Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia and Luisa Stefani, losing 6-4, 6-4.

Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova come from behind to beat Russian athletes Ekaterina Alexandrova and Elena Vesnina 2-6, 7-6(5), 10-6 on Court 12, while Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara won 6-2, 6-3 against Romania’s Ana Bogdan and Jaqueline Cristian.

Finally, on Court 13, Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Leylah Fernandez won 6-1 and 7-5, triumphing against France’s Clara Burel and Varvara Gracheva.