Paris 2024 Olympics, Novak Djokovic vs Rafa Nadal: Serb recounts most difficult moment

Novak Djokovic explains his drop in the second set

Novak Djokovic è emerged victorious from the 60th career head-to-head clash against Rafa Nadal, but when he seemed on his way to a very comfortable success he suffered a furious comeback attempt by the Mallorcan, who was able to go from 4-0 to 4-4 in the second set. At the microphones of 'Eurosport', Nole, who then won the next two games closing out the match, explained how he handled the most difficult moment of the match.

"I had some problems with my serve,” admitted the Serbian champion. To someone like Nadal you certainly cannot give chances, while I did it by serving badly at those junctures. The audience, then, charged him further, and to all this had to be added the wind, which I had against me. Fortunately in the last two games I got back into the right rhythm".

Djokovic then paid tribute to his opponent of a thousand battles, whom he met for the first time back in 2006, in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros (Nadal’s victory due to the Serb’s withdrawal at a two-set disadvantage): "It would have been hard to think that eighteen years later we would have met again sun such a stage" said Djokovic.

"Today"s match was as important as the one back then,” he added.

There has always been great interest about our rivalry, even more so when it comes to the Olympic Games. It's a disappointment not to be able to see him again in this tournament, but one of us had to go out today and I gave it my all so that I could go on".