Olympic tennis tournament in Paris, 2nd round, Monday, 29.07.2024, 13:30
The draw for the Olympic Games makes it possible. Before Rafael Nadal’s career comes to an end, we will see Novak Djokovic and the “clay court king” face off once again. They meet in the second round of Paris on Monday afternoon.
Djokovic and Nadal are the two most successful players in tennis history. It could be the last encounter between the two superstars, who are currently in different forms. Therefore, in my Djokovic Nadal betting tip, I’m sending the 2:0 for Djokovic bet from Bet365 into the race
Nadal simply has no luck this year in the French capital. At the French Open he met Alexander Zverev in round one, and in the second round of the Olympic Games he has to play the record Grand Slam winner Djokovic. A few years ago, that would have been unthinkable. Djokovic regularly went into the big tournaments as the first and second seed.
In this scenario, the giants can only play each other in the final. However, Nadal has lost the world ranking points he earned due to his long injury break. He is involved in the tournaments as a wild carder or with the Protected Ranking right. A permanent place in the seeding list? Not a chance!
All tennis fans were hoping for the second round duel in Paris and both Djokovic and Nadal overcame their first hurdle. Djokovic had a very easy game against Matthew Ebden on Saturday. The Australian moved into the singles field at the Olympics due to the spontaneous withdrawal of Holger Rune, who was ill.
The doubles specialist, who had not played a singles match since 2022, now had the honor of playing against Djokovic and took the 0:6, 1:6 defeat with humor. Just 21 out of 73 points ended up in Ebden’s account. The three-time Dopel Grand Slam winner only managed five out of a possible 30 on the return. Djokovic apologized for the thrashing at the end with a smile on his face.
Not a real test for Djokovic. However, he is also clearly favored at 1.11 against Nadal (5.50) in the top sports betting apps. In my eyes, that’s fair. Nadal is not in the best form and his physical condition is also unclear. Against Marton Fucsovics in round one, the physio moved onto the court in the third set.
Unlike Djokovic, Nadal had to play out the much longer match, standing on Court Philippe-Chatrier for two and a half hours on Sunday, while Djokovic was able to regenerate
Unlike Djokovic, the Spaniard skipped the grass court season altogether. Instead, the 38-year-old only returned to the 250 tournament in Bastad after his French Open exit. After 19 years, he was on the verge of his second title in the far north of Europe, Nuno Borges prevailed in the final with fresher legs and aggressive tennis.
When it comes to movement, Djokovic has a clear advantage. The current number two in the world showed again at Wimbledon that he is still a force to be reckoned with at the major tournaments. Only high-flyer Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal’s Olympic doubles partner, was one size too big in the final, as he was in 2023
Although the Serb is still waiting for his first title of the year, he put in a much better performance in 2024. I see a massive difference in quality on serve alone. Nadal has conceded a whopping 18 service games in the last three matches in Bastad and he also had to fight off ten break points against Fucsovics.
And now the still best return player is waiting on the other side. As much as the neutral tennis fan in me would like to see an exciting, long, epic match between these tennis legends, anything other than the 2:0 Djokovic bet would be fatal. Bet365 is also serving up top odds for this market:
My Djokovic – Nadal tip
Conclusion: Djokovic and Nadal have played each other 50 times. 27 times the Djoker has prevailed, 23 times Nadal. In terms of Grand Slam trophies, they are the best players of all time.
At the tournament in honor of the Greek gods, this battle of the titans will culminate in its final chapter at the Olympic Games in Paris.
In terms of play, however, there are currently major differences. Although Nadal is finally back on the tour, his physical condition means he can’t offer the world’s top level.
Therefore, my Djokovic – Nadal tip is: Djokovic wins 2:0
