On the third day of the ongoing Paris Olympics, two of the best-ever tennis players - Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - will face each other in the second round of the men's singles event. Ever since the draws were finalised, the sports fans were eagerly waiting for the clash to take place. This will be the 60th meeting between the two players and is expected to be an enthralling encounter.
Nadal and Djokovic last faced each other at the Games in the Beijing Olympics semifinals when the former won in three sets and claimed the gold medal later. Djokovic, on the other hand, finished with the bronze. Moreover, the iconic athletes are locking horns for the first time since the 2022 French Open when Nadal emerged victorious in four sets.
If the overall head-to-head is considered, then Djokovic is leading by 30-29 while on the clay court where these two will be facing today, Nadal has a massive upper hand winning 20 and losing 8 matches. "Situations are completely different for him, for me. He's being very competitive. I was not being very competitive for the last two years, so in that case, I think probably he is the clear favourite," Nadal said ahead of the clash.
"Nadal is always my biggest rival. As long as Nadal is playing, as long as I’m playing, Nadal is always my biggest rival regardless of the rankings or what’s going on on the tour just because of the history of our rivalry," Djokovic said.
When will the Nadal vs Djokovic match take place today?
The iconic Nadal vs Djokovic match is scheduled to happen today around 4:30 PM IST. It is set to be played at the Philippe Chatrier court and will follow the tie between Iga Swiatek and Diane Parry that will take place at 3:30 PM IST.
Where to watch Nadal vs Djokovic?
The much-awaited match between Nadal and Djokovic will be telecast live on Sports18 1 HD and SD channels. The match will be streamed live on Jio Cinema app and website.