The Fort Worth Press - Nadal v Djokovic, French Open, 2006: Chapter One in 18-year rivalry

USD -
AED 3.673039
AFN 69.016748
ALL 89.186026
AMD 387.538268
ANG 1.80335
AOA 932.498278
ARS 965.250021
AUD 1.459651
AWG 1.8025
AZN 1.699143
BAM 1.76103
BBD 2.020377
BDT 119.575005
BGN 1.759248
BHD 0.376912
BIF 2900.890518
BMD 1
BND 1.292196
BOB 6.929588
BRL 5.537698
BSD 1.00063
BTN 83.591514
BWP 13.17486
BYN 3.274176
BYR 19600
BZD 2.016955
CAD 1.351875
CDF 2870.000204
CHF 0.84658
CLF 0.033444
CLP 922.809926
CNY 7.054402
CNH 7.05249
COP 4161.75
CRC 518.908698
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 99.284171
CZK 22.627
DJF 178.185371
DKK 6.713202
DOP 60.120656
DZD 132.572504
EGP 48.654602
ERN 15
ETB 119.291554
EUR 0.90009
FJD 2.220802
FKP 0.761559
GBP 0.748945
GEL 2.714996
GGP 0.761559
GHS 15.74014
GIP 0.761559
GMD 68.999774
GNF 8644.954484
GTQ 7.74003
GYD 209.346299
HKD 7.78795
HNL 24.842428
HRK 6.799011
HTG 131.87585
HUF 355.366499
IDR 15166.95
ILS 3.78475
IMP 0.761559
INR 83.529503
IQD 1310.834782
IRR 42092.50435
ISK 136.549882
JEP 0.761559
JMD 157.212318
JOD 0.708703
JPY 143.594998
KES 129.079991
KGS 84.250167
KHR 4065.406676
KMF 441.350149
KPW 899.999433
KRW 1333.505054
KWD 0.30505
KYD 0.833881
KZT 481.131651
LAK 22095.263821
LBP 89606.428957
LKR 304.819961
LRD 200.12786
LSL 17.404556
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.75155
MAD 9.6953
MDL 17.446425
MGA 4544.39042
MKD 55.406738
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3397.999955
MOP 8.024834
MRU 39.625428
MUR 45.719886
MVR 15.360256
MWK 1735.098145
MXN 19.414299
MYR 4.169337
MZN 63.849965
NAD 17.404713
NGN 1616.050286
NIO 36.827272
NOK 10.474475
NPR 133.744823
NZD 1.59468
OMR 0.384953
PAB 1.00063
PEN 3.7613
PGK 3.974428
PHP 55.985499
PKR 278.075185
PLN 3.845221
PYG 7788.687944
QAR 3.646227
RON 4.4787
RSD 105.391976
RUB 91.473834
RWF 1350.26112
SAR 3.751891
SBD 8.299327
SCR 13.785023
SDG 601.499323
SEK 10.192815
SGD 1.290315
SHP 0.761559
SLE 22.847303
SLL 20969.494858
SOS 571.853052
SRD 30.435499
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.755706
SYP 2512.529936
SZL 17.396903
THB 32.939788
TJS 10.636779
TMT 3.5
TND 3.034846
TOP 2.342099
TRY 34.1509
TTD 6.803591
TWD 32.020963
TZS 2729.999834
UAH 41.432109
UGX 3701.602737
UYU 41.644531
UZS 12738.159553
VEF 3622552.534434
VES 36.767003
VND 24640
VUV 118.722009
WST 2.797463
XAF 590.632991
XAG 0.032188
XAU 0.00038
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.740231
XOF 590.640968
XPF 107.383396
YER 250.325006
ZAR 17.3252
ZMK 9001.20159
ZMW 26.541868
ZWL 321.999592
  • RBGPF

    62.3600

    62.36

    +100%

  • CMSD

    -0.0150

    25.005

    -0.06%

  • JRI

    -0.0200

    13.3

    -0.15%

  • SCS

    0.0900

    13.01

    +0.69%

  • CMSC

    -0.0800

    25.07

    -0.32%

  • NGG

    0.9300

    70.48

    +1.32%

  • BCC

    4.1500

    141.65

    +2.93%

  • BCE

    0.0600

    35.1

    +0.17%

  • RIO

    1.0100

    64.58

    +1.56%

  • RELX

    0.8700

    48.86

    +1.78%

  • GSK

    0.0600

    40.86

    +0.15%

  • AZN

    -1.2400

    77.14

    -1.61%

  • VOD

    0.1000

    10.11

    +0.99%

  • BTI

    0.4600

    37.9

    +1.21%

  • BP

    0.2200

    32.86

    +0.67%

  • RYCEF

    0.0200

    7.08

    +0.28%

Nadal v Djokovic, French Open, 2006: Chapter One in 18-year rivalry
Nadal v Djokovic, French Open, 2006: Chapter One in 18-year rivalry / Photo: © AFP/File

Nadal v Djokovic, French Open, 2006: Chapter One in 18-year rivalry

It's one of the greatest rivalries in tennis, currently standing at 59 matches, encompassing Grand Slams, Masters and Davis Cups.

Text size:

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will meet once again in the second round of the Olympics on Monday at Roland Garros, the very place where they first clashed in 2006.

AFP Sport looks back on that day at the French Open 18 years ago:

Pre-match

-- Second seed Nadal was the defending champion having won the first of his 14 Roland Garros titles, and 22 majors overall, 12 months earlier at the age of 19.

Djokovic, world number one now, was then a brash 19-year-old ranked at 63.

"I'm going out there to win, not just play," said Djokovic who had defeated three top-30 players to reach the quarter-finals.

The match

-- Djokovic was hoping the French crowd would get behind him on Court Philippe Chatrier. He had even donned a France football team shirt in his pre-match media conference hoping to tap into the national feel-good mood which would see Les Bleus reach the final of the World Cup in Germany that summer.

Unfortunately, the early afternoon start meant that most of the courtside seats were empty. Not even Nadal and Djokovic could compete with the attractions of lunchtime schmoozing in the nearby VIP restaurants.

Dressed in his white pedal-pushers, Nadal broke first, but Djokovic hit back. Nadal carved out another break for 2-1 and that was enough for the first set 6-4.

Both players exhibited mannerisms and habits which have become commonplace over the best part of two decades.

Commentators were intrigued by the number of times Djokovic bounced the ball between serves -- "14, 15, 16".

At the other end, cameras picked out 'Vamos' scribbled in pen on the heel of Nadal's right shoe.

The champion, shoulder-length hair kept under control by a white bandana, showcased his fussy service action, punctuated by the picking at his shorts and mopping of his brow.

In no time at all, he was a double-break up for 3-0 before Djokovic retrieved one break to trail 2-4.

In between, Djokovic had taken a nasty-looking tumble into the red dust. He never looked comfortable again.

Nadal pocketed the second set 6-4 and three points into the third set, Djokovic retired with a back injury.

It was Nadal's 58th consecutive win on clay.

Post-match

-- The Serb stunned his news conference by insisting: "I think I was in control of the match".

"I was playing pretty well. Everything was depending on my racquet. Even with a sore back, I think I played equal.

"I think I could have won today. He's not unbeatable."

Nadal was so baffled by Djokovic's revisionist summary that when he was asked if he thought the Serb was right to state he had controlled proceedings, he demanded the question be translated into Spanish so he could be sure he understood.

"Oh yes," said Nadal, tongue firmly in cheek and to howls of laughter. "If he thinks that, it's OK. I don't need to answer."

TV pundits were equally perplexed.

"Novak, do you need smelling salts?" asked bemused former player and ESPN commentator Brad Gilbert.

"If you want to incite Rafa, the next time you play, he's going to drop the hammer on you. It was heavyweight against middleweight out there."

Gilbert was right. Nadal won all nine of the pair's first clay-court meetings. It took Djokovic until Madrid in 2011 to achieve his maiden victory on the surface against the Spanish star.

Nadal went on to win Roland Garros that year and defended it in 2007 and 2008. He was sinking his teeth into the Coupe des Mousquetaires again in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022.

Djokovic has lost three Paris finals to Nadal -- in 2012, 2014 and 2020 -- but claimed his first Roland Garros title in 2016, adding the 2021 and 2023 crowns in his 24-major haul.

And what about those 59 meetings? Well, Djokovic currently leads 30-29.

B.Martinez--TFWP