Tennis has returned to the red clay–and the famed Roland-Garros grounds–at the 2024 Olympics.
It’s an unusual year for tour players, who finely tune their training and prep around the sport’s court surface “seasons.” When the Olympics started, the 2024 circuit had already moved past clay to grass, and, normally at this time of year, the pros would be gearing up for the U.S. Open–a hardcourt.
No matter, though. The tennis is big and bright in the City of Light.
The buzziest news from the sport is Monday’s match-up between two of the best men’s players of all time: Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who compete against each other in the second round.
It is their 60th faceoff, and Djokovic leads their series 30-29. Sadly, though, the match is very possibly their final professional contest, as Nadal is likely retiring imminently.
Their meeting comes at an inflection point in tennis history: these two, along with the now retired Roger Federer, represent the Big 3, the (so far) apex trinity of men’s players who dominated the game from the aughts through the twenty-teens.
None were stronger on clay than Nadal, who is so revered for his 14 Roland-Garros championships that he was one of this Games’ torchbearers at the Opening Ceremony on Friday night. The Spaniard has also garnered global headlines for his participation in the doubles tournament at the Games: he’s playing with Carlos Alcaraz, a fellow countryman, who, at age 21, already has 4 Majors to his name.
That said, Nadal is not the favorite in Monday’s match. Both he and Djokovic have battled injuries of late, yet the latter is currently in better form, having reached the finals of Wimbledon just a few weeks ago.
Djokovic is also hungry for his last huge prize, an accolade that has eluded him over the decades: an Olympic gold (of which Nadal has two).
“[We’re in] different situations in our careers. He’s coming from being in the final of a Grand Slam, and I’m coming without being very competitive in the last two years,” said Nadal in a press conference on Sunday. “Let’s see, it’s in a special place. I’m just going to try to give my best and enjoy it as much as possible.’