Novak Djokovic beats rival Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4 at the Paris Olympics in the second round

PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic dominated rival Rafael Nadal at the start, then held off a comeback attempt to win 6-1, 6-4 at the Paris Olympics in the second round Monday, the 60th — and likely last — head-to-head matchup between the two tennis greats.

Djokovic claimed 10 of the initial 11 games, with Nadal nowhere near the skilled and ever-hustling version of himself that won a record 14 French Open trophies on the same red clay at Roland Garros that is hosting Summer Games matches. Instead, Nadal was diminished, showing every bit of his 38 years, and looking like someone who might be ready to head into retirement after playing only sparingly the past two seasons because of a series of injuries, including hip surgery.

Then, suddenly, the indefatigable Nadal got going, making a push to turn this contest competitive, which surely no one — least of all Djokovic — found too surprising. Nadal captured four consecutive games in the second set, including a forehand winner to break to make it 4-all. He raised his left fist, drawing roars from a packed Court Philippe Chatrier crowd that repeatedly tried to encourage him with chants of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!”

And that's when Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia, regained control. He broke right back, pointing to his left ear while walking to the sideline as if to taunt Nadal's supporters. Djokovic then served out the victory, before meeting Nadal at the net for a hug.

Djokovic owns 24 Grand Slam titles, and Nadal 22, the two highest men’s totals in the century-plus history of the sport, both have been ranked No. 1, and no pair of men has played each other more often in the professional era. They are two-thirds of the so-called Big Three of men’s tennis, along with Roger Federer, who retired with 20 Slam titles. That trio enjoyed unprecedented success and prompted endless debates about which was the “GOAT” — “Greatest of All Time.”

But Djokovic and Nadal are accustomed to meeting — and fans are accustomed to watching them — in the latter stages of events, including nine major finals. Not merely the second round. It happened that early this time because while Djokovic is the top seed at the Summer Games, Nadal’s ranking is outside the top 150 on account of a lack of matches.

Part of Nadal's troubles Monday were caused by not being in tip-top shape. His right thigh has been taped up during these Olympics, where he is also competing in doubles for Spain with Carlos Alcaraz.

And part of the problem, to be sure, was that Djokovic was, well, the best version of himself other than during that brief stretch in the second set, sliding along the baseline to get to everything, striking shots exactly where he wanted them, occasionally using drop shots to set up winners and force Nadal to run a lot. Djokovic wore a gray sleeve on his right knee, just as he did while making it to the final at Wimbledon three weeks ago. He tore his meniscus during the French Open in early June and had surgery in Paris.

None of that mattered on this warm afternoon under a cloudless sky, with the temperature in the 80s Fahrenheit. Folks in the stands waved fans in an attempt to stay cool; both players wore cold white towels around their necks during changeovers.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Serbia's Novak Djokovic cools off during a break as he plays Spain's Rafael Nadal during their men's singles second round match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Spain's Rafael Nadal returns the ball to Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's singles second round match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Spectators watch Spain's Rafael Nadal playing Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's singles second round match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's Rafael Nadal serves the ball to Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's singles second round match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts as he plays Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's singles second round match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic wipes his face as he plays Spain's Rafael Nadal during their men's singles second round match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts as he plays Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's singles second round match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Spain's Rafael Nadal during their men's singles second round match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates winning a point as he plays Serbia's Novak Djokovic during their men's singles second round match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after defeating Spain's Rafael Nadal in their men's singles second round match at the Roland Garros stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. Novak Djokovic dominated rival Rafael Nadal to win 6-1, 6-4 at the Paris Olympics in the second round. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Serbia's Novak Djokovic, right, hugs Spain's Rafael Nadal after their men's singles second round match at the Roland Garros stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. Novak Djokovic dominated rival Rafael Nadal to win 6-1, 6-4 at the Paris Olympics in the second round. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins was handcuffed and placed face down on a street outside the team's stadium after he was stopped for speeding and reckless driving Sunday morning before the Dolphins' first game of the season, an incident that left the star wide receiver baffled and resulted in a police officer being placed on administrative leave.

The officer, who was not identified, was one of at least three involved in detaining Hill. Some fans saw Hill being handcuffed and captured video on their way to the game, and it quickly went viral on social media.

Miami-Dade Police director Stephanie V. Daniels said she had launched an internal affairs investigation.

Told after the game that the officer was placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation, Hill said: “That should tell you everything you need to know.”

Added defensive tackle Calais Campbell, who was also briefly handcuffed after coming to his teammate’s aid: “That makes sense based on the situation.”

Hill, who said he respects police officers and wants to be one when he retires from football, said he “had no idea” why police placed him in handcuffs.

“I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way,” Hill said. “Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that. Like I said, I’m still trying to figure it out, man.”

Hill starred on the field for the Dolphins, catching seven passes for 130 yards — including an 80-yard touchdown that helped Miami rally for a 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hill celebrated the score by mimicking being handcuffed.

Hill, who is Black, said he didn't want to use his celebrity to get out of the situation but wondered what would’ve happened if he weren’t an NFL star.

“I don’t want to bring race into it, but sometimes it gets kind of iffy when you do,” he said. “What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill? Lord knows what that guy or guys would have done. I was just making sure that I was doing what my uncle always told me to do whenever you’re in a situation like that: ‘Just listen, put your hands on the steering wheel and just listen.’”

Daniels said in a statement earlier Sunday that she requested an “immediate review” of the details surrounding the incident, adding that the department would review available body camera footage.

In a later statement, Daniels said: “I'm committed to transparency and accountability to the community with any situation involving my officers."

Hill said everything happened so fast it caught him off guard.

“I’m just glad that my teammates were there to support me in that situation because I felt alone,” Hill added.

Campbell said he was driving into Hard Rock Stadium when he saw Hill handcuffed, and he stopped to help. The 17-year NFL veteran ended up in handcuffs as well, saying officers told him it was because he disobeyed their direct orders.

“I’d seen, I feel like excessive force, so I get out of the car to kind of just try to de-escalate the situation,” Campbell said, also calling the incident “a bit extreme.”

Hill, who led the NFL in receiving yards in 2023, said he spoke to his wife and family after he was detained and before the game kicked off.

His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, called it a “heartbreaking situation” on ESPN.

“How things escalated into the situation that they were in, in handcuffs and being held on the ground with police, is mindboggling to me,” Rosenhaus said. "I'm deeply concerned by that. Very troubled. We will be looking into it. We will be investigating this. We will look out for Tyreek, but I'm not going to make any allegations at this time. The most important thing is Tyreek is OK physically, mentally he was very distraught about what happened.”

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league has been in contact with the Dolphins, but declined to comment further.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) grabs a pass for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) gestures during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Jaguars 20-17. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill gestures after an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Jaguars 20-17. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill speaks during an NFL football post game news conference, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Jaguars 20-17. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Ronald Darby (25) defends Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) listens to agent Drew Rosenhous before NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) enters the field before an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)