Novak Djokovic has condemned Olympic organisers following his dismantling of unranked Matt Ebden in the first-round of the men’s singles tournament. The 24-time Grand Slam champion eliminated his Australian opponent in just 53 minutes, winning 6-0, 6-1 and advancing to a potential showdown with long-time rival Rafael Nadal.

It is unsurprising the 36-year-old Edben was handily bested on Court Phillipe Chatrier on Saturday, given that he had not played a tour-level singles match for two years prior to his match-up with Djokovic – and was only drafted into the tournament as a short-notice replacement.

Ebden is a double-specialist, having won 2 doubles grand slams including his native Australian Open this past January. His chances of beating the Serbian hero in a singles match were summed up when the crowd erupted with cheers as he won his only game of the match in the second set.

That might have been a moral victory for Edben, but Djokovic was far from happy about the rules that had seen his opponent flung into the tournament and told the assembled media at his post-match press conference that the rules needed to be altered moving forward.

Djokovic was Embarrassed by Rules That Saw Him Face a Retired Player at the Olympics

Edben wasn’t a registered singles player before the tournament began

“I’m sorry for Matt, he told me at the net it was his first match for two years and he’s officially retired from his singles career,” Djokovic said following his first-round breeze, per the Daily Mail. “Obviously, he’s focused on doubles so it was tough for him. I really don’t understand the rules.” The 37-year-old legend then lambasted the rules that led Ebden to competing.

“It’s not logical for me that you have someone withdraws from singles and you call up a doubles player to play singles.I don’t think it’s a good image for the sport, to be honest. There are lots of singles players that had plenty of time to get here and could have been called to come. So this part I don’t get at all. I hope the ITF (International Tennis Federation) and the Olympics change the rule because it was tough on Matt.”

Despite his anger over his first round match-up, Djokovic looked forward to his potential second-round tie against storied rival Rafael Nadal.

“There’s great hype around that match.” beamed Djokovic. It can be a blockbuster, one of the events people are looking forward to at this Olympics and I’m looking forward to what could be our last dance, so to say, on this court.”

The Spaniard needs to beat the Hungarian Márton Fucsovics in his first-round tie on Sunday to confirm one more legendary match between two of the best tennis players of all time.

Nadal had hinted at forgoing playing in the singles in order to give him the best chance at a medal, but now appears ready to take his chance in both events.

The Spaniard’s greatest opportunity for a medal undoubtedly lies in the doubles, where he is partnered with reigning back-to-back Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz. The superstar duo defeated the Argentine unit of Andrés Molteni and Maximo Gonzalez in their first-round tie 7-6, 6-4.