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• Nadal to make decision on future after the Olympics

  Rafael Nadal says he will make a decision on his future when the Olympics are over after suffering a second-round defeat to Novak Djokovic on Monday.

  The Spaniard was beaten 6-1 6-4 in straight sets by his long-time rival, though showed fight to come back from 4-0 down to tie 4-4 in the second set before Djokovic saw out the victory.

  Nadal has endured another campaign hampered by injuries and is playing in just his seventh tournament of the season after skipping Wimbledon to focus on the Games.

  He won Olympic gold in the singles in Beijing in 2008 and the doubles at Rio 2016, but he is without a major title win since 2022, when he won his 14th grand slam at Roland Garros.

  And after another early tournament exit, Nadal admitted that the end of his career may be closer than he had hoped.

  "When this tournament is over, I will take the necessary decisions based on my feelings and desire," he said.

  "For many people, it makes little sense. I have been suffering for two years.

  "If I feel that I am not competitive, I will make the decision to stop. I just try my best every single day, trying to enjoy a thing that I have been enjoying for so much time.

  "I have been suffering a lot of injuries the last two years. So, if I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going or physically, I'm not ready to keep going, I will stop and let you know."

  Nadal still has a chance to win a medal in Paris in the men's doubles where he is partnered with Carlos Alcaraz.

• Djokovic thrilled by Nadal win despite 'getting comfortable'

  Novak Djokovic admitted he got "a little bit too comfortable" before rallying to beat Rafael Nadal in their mouth-watering second-round Olympic meeting.

  Billed as their 'last dance', the great rivals faced off for a record 60th time in the Open Era, with Djokovic coming out on top with a 6-1 6-4 straight-sets win.

  It was not quite so straightforward for the Serb though, as Nadal showed his fight in the second set, fighting from 4-0 down to tie it at 4-4 before Djokovic wrestled back control to win.

  The 37-year-old is the first player to win 15 men's singles matches at the Olympics since tennis returned to the summer programme in 1988, but he is still searching for an elusive first gold medal.

  And despite a slightly sloppy finish to the second set, Djokovic was pleased with his overall performance.

  "At 6-1, 4-0, I got a little bit too comfortable," Djokovic said. "At 4-1, I played a little sloppy service game, and you can't give any chances to Nadal because he is going to use them and comeback.

  "Especially on this court. The crowd getting involved, but it was a crucial game at 4-4, trying to break his serve and then serve against the wind with new balls.

  "It was a very close encounter, but I am very pleased with the way I played."

  The win was also Djokovic's 31st against Nadal, the most match wins against a single opponent by anyone in the Open Era.

  With this potentially the last-ever meeting, Djokovic reflected on just how far they had come since first facing off at Roland-Garros in the French Open quarter-finals in 2006.

  "Back in 2006, I don't think we would have thought we would be playing against each other on the same court at the Olympics," he added.

  "So, I think we will appreciate this match very much. I think our rivalry and I think for the sport itself.

  "I think there was a lot of attention and interest directed from sports towards us. It is unfortunate for him that he wasn't at his best, but I did everything I could to make him feel uncomfortable."

  Djokovic will face Germany’s Dominik Koepfer in the next round. 

• Pidcock successfully defends Olympic mountain biking gold after 'big fight'

  Team GB mountain biker Tom Pidcock successfully defended his gold medal, recovering from a mid-race puncture to snatch victory in dramatic fashion.

  He slipped down to ninth after the puncture on his fourth lap, trailing the leader by 40 seconds, but made up the ground to beat home favourite Victor Koretzky over the line by nine seconds.

  In a tense final lap, the pair exchanged the lead, but in a superb overtake through the trees, Pidcock edged back in front and held his nerve to win his second goal medal.

  Pidcock, who had to withdraw from the Tour de France after suffering from Covid-19 earlier this month, said he was determined to do whatever it took to get his hands back on the gold medal.

  "It wasn't easy," he told BBC Sport after the race. "I'm keeping my glasses on for a reason.

  "The Olympics is so special, you never give up, you give everything, and that is what I had to do.

  "I knew that Victor was going to be fast in the last lap even if I couldn't get rid of him. I knew it was going to be a big fight, and he left a gap and I had to take it.

  "That's racing. I know people might view it differently, but sport is about not giving up. It is a shame that the French were booing me, but you know."

  Pidcock had made a quick start, pushing to the front of the pack before being slowed down by the wheel change, but he was quick to brush off the problem.

  "I knew that the first thing was to stay calm, I didn't really let it affect me," he added. "All I could do was stay calm and come back as best I could. I wanted to come back to the front, that's all I cared about.

  "There's no point in stressing about [the slow wheel change], that's not going to help me get back to the front. I was lucky it happened early on, so there was time to come back to the front."

  Pidcock will have another chance to go for gold in the road race on Saturday.