Rafael Nadal cleared the air of doubts revolving around his ability to perform well in the singles run. While he was dicey about entering the arena for his opening match against Marton Fucsovics, the Spaniard turned the tables by securing a massive win. Now that he is scheduled to appear in the most anticipated showdown against Novak Djokovic, the Spaniard was quick enough to raise the white flag.

Rafael Nadal recently secured a massive R1 win at the Paris Olympics. The Spaniard took down his Hungarian rival with a scoreline of 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. While he booked an R2 meeting against none other than Novak Djokovic in the second round, his words seemed to lack confidence, already handing out the win to his rival.

“Probably, he is the clear favorite,” Rafa admitted, pressing on the fact that he has been absent during the last few years whereas the Serb continued to dominate the era. Although the hopes are evenly divided among the two tennis greats, only time will tell who manages to continue his campaign in the glorious event.

Djokovic, on the other hand, seems to be eager about possibly his last showdown against Rafa. “If we get to face each other, it’s going to be possibly the last time we’re going to face each other on a big stage,” Djokovic said. Along with that, he also marked it as a moment that would be the biggest surprise for the spectators. “So I’m sure that people would enjoy it. I’m looking forward to it, and I’ll be ready for that matchup,” he added.

The rivalry between these two tennis greats used to be one of the most discussed in the sport’s history. In a total of 59 matches played against each other, the Serb stands slightly ahead of him with a 30-29 head-to-head number. The 60th showdown between them would not only allow Rafael Nadal an opportunity to close their rivalry with an even score but would also be a moment that the whole tennis community waited for, ever since Rafa made a comeback.

Rafael Nadal drops hints of a continued career

There’s still no clarification on Rafael Nadal’s retirement from the tennis world. Although the Spaniard has marked several moments of mentioning that this year could possibly be his last one, he never readily accepts it. Amid the anticipation of his upcoming showdown against Novak Djokovic, the Serb named it “the last dance”.

The reporter approached to gather his views on Nole’s comment, to which the Spaniard simply replied, “Who says [it’s the] last dance?” This statement, coming out to be mysterious within itself, gives out several meanings. While the most common one is probably a thought of extending his professional career, there’s still no clarification to it. Although his farewell could come up anytime, the focus currently lies on enjoying each of his on-court moments to the fullest.