Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal at the Olympic Games, claiming a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the pair’s 60th and potentially last meeting.
It was 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic’s 31st win in a rivalry that began on the same Roland-Garros clay courts in 2006.
Nadal was largely outclassed in the much-anticipated encounter on Monday, only coming briefly to life when he won four games in a row in the second set.
“I’m very relieved,” said Djokovic. “Everything was going my way, I was 6-1, 4-0 up but I played a sloppy service game and gave him chances.”
He added: “I never thought back in 2006 that we’d still be playing each other almost 20 years later.”
In a sign of the wear and tear the pair have endured in recent months, Djokovic wore a protective strapping around his right knee while Nadal’s right thigh was heavily strapped.
But Djokovic played freely, forcing Nadal to scamper around Court Philippe Chatrier, where the Spaniard had collected 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.
The 37-year-old Serb raced to a 4-0 lead, on the back of a double break, and held for 5-0 before Nadal stopped the rot much to the relief of a packed, sweltering crowd.