Djokovic beats rival Nadal at the Paris Olympics in their 60th and possibly last head-to-head match

PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic, who won, and Rafael Nadal, who lost, met at the net and hugged after playing at the Paris Olympics in the 60th — and quite possibly last — installment of a record-breaking and often riveting rivalry between two tennis greats who share a mutual respect if not a close friendship.

This 6-1, 6-4 victory for Djokovic came in only the second round of the Summer Games — instead of a Grand Slam final, like nine previous head-to-head encounters — and it was not the most scintillating contest, either, other than for a 20-minute interlude in the second set, when Nadal's final push made things briefly competitive after he ceded 10 of the initial 11 games.

Afterward, neither Nadal, who is 38, nor Djokovic, 37, was willing to concede they won't play each other again, even if that seems likely. Nadal certainly seems as if he could be close to retirement; he's had two injury-filled seasons, needed hip surgery a little more than a year ago, and spoke in 2023 about 2024 being his farewell.

But he's not done at these Olympics, pairing with Carlos Alcaraz in doubles for Spain, and said Monday he's a bit tired of getting asked every day about his future.