Novak Djokovic spoke about his relationship with long-time rival Rafael Nadal after their 60th meeting in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Djokovic triumphed over the Spaniard 6-1, 6-4 in an hour and 43 minutes, continuing his pursuit of the gold medal.
Djokovic kicked off his Paris campaign by defeating Australia’s Matthew Ebden 6-0, 6-1 in just 48 minutes. Meanwhile, Nadal, who is also competing in doubles, had to battle through a challenging three-set match against Marton Fucsovics to set up the highly-anticipated 60th meeting with Djokovic. L
The top seed started strong, taking the first set with ease and quickly leading 4-0 in the second set. Despite Nadal’s comeback, winning four consecutive games to level the set, Djokovic broke back and served out the match, extending his head-to-head lead to 31-29.
After the match, Djokovic told reporters that his relationship with Nadal was strictly professional and that they shared mutual respect. He explained that their intense rivalry made it difficult to maintain a close friendship, as they couldn’t share personal details with each other.
“It’s tough to be close, honestly, being greatest rivals, and you don’t want to maybe give insights into your life or the way you feel because that can expose you,” Djokovic said. “I guess that’s one of the reasons why we didn’t connect so closely. At this level, I don’t think you can really connect so closely with anyone, but who knows what will happen when our careers end.”
The 24-time Major champion expressed hope that a possible friendship could develop after their careers ended.
“It’s a long life, hopefully for both of us, and we’re both family people,” Djokovic said. “Hopefully, we can address the different side of our relationship and reflect on things we went through together, the special moments, in a different way.”