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• 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. 

• Arsenal sign Italy defender Calafiori from Bologna

  Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna for £42million. 

  Calafiori, who will wear the number 33 shirt for the Gunners, has penned a five-year deal at the Emirates Stadium.

  The 22-year-old centre-half made 37 appearances for Bologna last season, helping the Serie A club qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the 1964-65 campaign.

  His impressive performances in the heart of defence earned a first senior international call-up earlier this year, while he subsequently represented Italy at Euro 2024.

  Arsenal's Sporting Director Edu Gaspar said: "It has been a great team effort in completing this transfer, and we welcome Riccardo to the family.

  "Riccardo has consistently shown his quality for his club and country. He was one of the best players in Serie A last season and gave strong performances for Italy in the Euros this summer.

  "Mikel [Arteta] and our coaches are excited to start working with Riccardo, and we all look forward to seeing him in our shirt."

  Calafiori is Arsenal's second major signing ahead of the 2024-25 season after Mikel Arteta made David Raya's initial loan move from Brentford permanent earlier this month.

  He could make his debut when the Gunners host Wolves on August 17 in their opening match of the new Premier League campaign.
• 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.