Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal Prediction & Picks - Olympic Tournament

Prediction published on 7/29/24, 3:08 AM  by Tyler Doty | Modified on 7/29/24 at 3:12 AM in Olympic Tournament Picks

It's the match-up that tennis fans have been waiting to see in the second round of the Olympic tournament, with two legends battling it out for a place in the last 16: Novak Djokovic versus Rafael Nadal.

Novak Djokovic had set himself a challenge less than 2 months ago when he was forced to forfeit his quarter-final match at the French Open: to be back at Porte d'Auteuil to go for the only title missing from his immense career, namely Olympic gold. Having undergone knee surgery the day after withdrawing from the Grand Slam, the 37-year-old Serbian tennis player was in a race against time. Although there were doubts about his participation, Nolé put everyone in agreement by playing at Wimbledon, 3 weeks after his operation! Further proof of Novak Djokovic's strength of character, which surpasses all others.

The world number 2 was not back on the tennis courts so soon to make up the numbers, as the record holder of 24 Grand Slam victories had assured his presence provided he was competitive. It is a realistic goal, and one which the Serbian achieved by reaching the final in London two weeks ago, where he was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz. A very positive return for the player who was still far from 100%, and who was also quick to point out that the break had enabled him to rediscover a desire to win that had somewhat disappeared during the first few months of competition. Novak Djokovic kicked off his Olympic tournament with a low-intensity training session against Australian Matthew Ebden. A 6-0, 6-1 victory over an opponent who wasn't ready to fight for this match didn't tire the Serb. This Monday, it's a modern tennis classic that takes place with a clash against Rafael Nadal, the 60th in history.

Rafael Nadal, who was injured in his first tournament of the season, also succeeded. The Spaniard has worked hard to return to a high level, and although the comeback has been complicated, Rafa has also shown the strength of character to be competitive. Although the Majorcan didn't make it past the first round at Roland Garros at the end of May, his performance against eventual finalist Alexander Zverev showed that his level of play was there, and that his next objective was to return to Porte d'Auteuil in July for the Olympic Games. A successful gamble!

After skipping Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal has been working hard to prepare for the event. Back on the courts last week at the Bastad tournament, Rafa reached the final in Sweden, losing to Nuno Borges. A good week, but one which showed that at 38 years of age, the Majorcan can find it physically difficult to keep up. His first round match against Hungary's Marton Fucsovics was also difficult, with a 3-set victory (6-1, 4-6, 6-4) in which the Spaniard struggled to finish. This duel against Novak Djokovic could be the last in a confrontation that will go down in sporting legend.