Novak Djokovic makes complaint after thumping Olympics win over Rafael Nadal

The second set was a far tighter affair than the first, with Nadal breaking his old rival twice to make it a spectacle after he'd fallen 4-0 down.

Though Djokovic went on to win, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has complained that he was 'pretty sloppy' as he narrowly got over the line - while also admitting it was 'tough' to deal with the crowd backing Nadal.

"I was very relieved because everything looked like going my way, 6-1, 4-0," he said.

"I got a little bit, maybe too comfortable there at 4-1.

"I played a pretty sloppy service game, and you can't give any chances to Nadal because he's going to use them. He's going to come back, especially on this court.

"The crowd getting involved was obviously very tough, but you know, crucial game at 4-4."

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Nadal and Djokovic have met a staggering 60 times throughout the course of their careers.

Djokovic has won two more matches than the Spaniard, who bristled when asked about retirement after his defeat.

And the Serb says he appreciated playing against Nadal for the first time in two years.

"I did well on the last couple of serves, but wow, it was a very close encounter," he said.

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"I'm very pleased with everything. I think we will eventually appreciate this match very much, for the rivalry, for the sport as well, and for the Olympics.

"There was a lot of attention on the match today. It benefits all of us.

"It's unfortunate that he wasn't at his best, but I did everything I possibly could to make him uncomfortable on the court."

Nadal, meanwhile, admits the better man won - and that he struggled with the physicality of the match given his injury issues over the years.

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"One player was much better than the other and we have to accept it," he said.

"For an hour it was hard to digest everything that was happening, although I did it.

"I tried to be with the right attitude and mentality to accept it because I knew there was a chance that the duel would go like this.

"I was not able to play at the level I needed and he has not given me practically anything either. I did not had the continuous shot quality to create problems for him.

"I do not have the legs of 15 years ago.

"So without the ball quality and the legs of 15 years ago, you're not going to create problems for the best in history, right?"