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.
Alcaraz battles past Griekspoor to reach Olympics round of 16
Carlos Alcaraz dug deep to overcome Tallon Griekspoor in the second round at the Paris Olympic Games.
The reigning French Open champion was pushed all the way in his straight-sets victory, getting a 6-1 7-6 (7-3) win in one hour and 48 minutes.
It looked like it was going to be another routine match for the Spaniard at Roland-Garros as he raced into a 3-0 lead in the first set, and even after Griekspoor pulled one back, Alcaraz's aggressive approach saw him take the lead.
The Dutchman found his fight in the second, though, with the players matching each other stride for stride. Griekspoor threatened to take the set with a break, but Alcaraz successfully defended it before forcing a tie-break.
Alcaraz then turned on the style when he needed it most, winning the last four points in a row to book his place in the next round, where he will face Roman Safiullin.
Data Debrief: Alcaraz gets the job done
Unlike his opening round, when he cruised through with a 6-3 6-1 victory over Lebanon's Hady Habib, Alcaraz was made to work hard for this victory.
Despite the stern test, Alcaraz did not drop a single service game, successfully saving two break points.
He is back in action on Tuesday when he will once again pair up with Rafael Nadal in the men's doubles.
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.
'It's not over' - Marta ready to fight after shock loss to Japan at Olympics
Marta has urged Brazil to bounce back quickly from their stoppage-time defeat to Japan at the Olympics on Sunday.
The Brazil great made her 200th appearance for the national team in their second group-stage game, but it was marred by a late lapse in concentration that saw Japan score twice in stoppage time to win 2-1.
Jhennifer's 56th-minute goal looked set to book Brazil a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament, but instead, they slipped down to third in Group C after Saki Kumagai and Momoko Tanikawa's goals.
And with world champions Spain up next for the two-time silver medallists, Marta, who is retiring at the end of the year, noted why it is so important that they quickly put that result behind them.
"All that mattered to Japan was winning the game," Marta said. "We took our eye off the ball and that has obviously ended up costing us.
"We could have been here celebrating a win, but instead we have to remain focused. But it's not over yet. We have to give it everything as a group. That is football. Anything can happen. Nothing has been decided."
The top two teams in each of the three groups advance into the knockout rounds, along with the two best third-place sides.
While Brazil would go through as things stand, that could all change on the final day, and head coach Arthur Elias echoed Marta's call to learn from the loss.
"I need to make amends, I need to tell the players the truth, no matter if it hurts," he said. "They obviously need to reflect. But I really recognise the effort of each and every one of them."
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