Olympic Highlights Day Three: Nadal and Djokovic renew rivalries as Daley starts fifth Games
In total, 19 sets of medals will be distributed, let's look at the biggest stories of the day.
Tennis
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal, men's singles second round
13:30 CET, Paris, Roland Garros, Philippe Chatrier court
One of the greatest rivalries not only in tennis, but perhaps across sports. Nadal and Djokovic first met each other in 2006 at Roland Garros and it is very likely that after 18 years they will play their last match together at the same venue.
The first time was the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam, where Nadal defended his first Paris trophy. Now it is only the second round of the Olympics, but the emotions and tension will definitely be high.
The Spanish tennis icon is behind in the rivalry narrowly 30-29, but he is leading 20-8 on clay and even 8-2 on the Paris courts!
Nadal hasn't played many matches in the last two seasons due to injuries, but he is still eager to return thanks to the eternal fighting spirit that has defined his entire career. Novak is no better on the injury front, getting knee surgery between the French Open and Wimbledon, but he ended up getting to the final in London anyway.
Every tennis fan must be happy to see two men who have been an inspiration for many years clash once more. Nadal's uniqueness is underlined by the fact that the Olympic organisers have entrusted him with one of the final stretches with the Olympic torch as Roland Garros is his second home. And that's probably why he'll have the crowd on his side.
Diving
10m tower - synchronized, men
10:00 CET, Paris, Aquatics Centre
Tom Daley is one of the most watched figures in the world of diving. The flag-bearer of the British team has never made a secret of his sexual orientation, he knits to pass the time and has always been a medal contender at the Olympics.
But he failed to win gold for a long time, and when he and Matty Lee won the synchronised jumps from the 10m tower in Tokyo, many thought it was the culmination of an illustrious career in which he became world champion four times.
But Daley also went to Paris and will make his fifth appearance under the five rings. He wants his two sons, whom he is raising with his partner Dustin Lance Black, to see him compete.
He will be accompanied on the tower by Noah Williams, with whom he won one World Cup in Berlin this year and took silver at the World Championships in Doha.
But the favourites will surely be world champions Lian Junjie and Yang Hao of China, with Oleksiy Sereda and Kirill Bolyukh of Ukraine also looking to win a medal.
Swimming
200m freestyle, men
20:40 CET, Paris, Aquatics Centre
Two years ago, virtually unknown teeager David Popovici became the first swimmer to break the one minute and 43 second time in the 200m freestyle since the full-body swimsuit ban. For a while it looked like it was just a blip, but after a disappointing season in 2023, the Romanian prodigy seems to be back.
He may have missed February's World Championships, but he won the European Championships in June with a time of 1:43.13 and made the heats and semi-finals at the Olympics on Sunday with a strong time (1:44.53). Either way, the final race could produce big drama. The times of the eight men in the semi-finals are separated by just 1.35 seconds.
There is no place in the final for the world champion, with South Korea's Hwang Sunwoo swam only ninth. Popovici's biggest rival will surely be Britain's Duncan Scott (1:44.94), who thanks to his victory in British qualification did not let defending gold medallist Tom Dean into Paris. American Luke Hobson (1:45.19) or Paris 400m winner Lukas Maertens (1:45.36) may also surprise.
