Bombshell in the Olympic Games tennis event: which two legends could meet in the second round?
The tennis competition will run from July 27 to June 4 and the event’s draw has surprised everyone with a potential early super clash.
The race for the gold medal in the tennis Olympic tournament at the French Open facilities in Paris promises to be exciting.
Carlos Alcaraz will try to record another historic victory, this time at the Summer Games, after reigning supreme at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
The four-time major champion won’t have to deal with one of his worst matchups, as world No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from the tournament with tonsillitis.
Another top player, the young clay-court specialist Holger Rune will also miss the tournament due to a wrist injury, so players like Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Casper Ruud will enjoy their chances of getting as far as possible in the French capital.
Olympic Games tennis: an early battle between two legends?
Djokovic is looking to finally win the gold medal in the Olympics, as he came up short in past editions. At 37, he knows retirement is getting closer and this will most likely be his last chance to try to clinch gold.
However, his path to the final won’t be as easy as he probably expected, as he could face another legend of the sport, Rafa Nadal.
While the Manacor native is far from his best shape, he has been playing well in Bastad, Sweden, getting to the final. Djokovic doesn’t seem to be in his best form either, as Alcaraz proved in the Wimbledon final, beating the Serb in straight sets.
Djokovic and Nadal could meet in the second round if they beat Matthew Ebden and Martin Fucsovics, respectively, in their opening matches.
Nole leads the historic head-to-head with Nadal by the slimmest of the margins, with 30 wins for him and 29 for the Spanish star.
Nadal, who won the gold medal in the 2008 Pekin Olympics, will return to the French Open tennis courts, where he lifted the trophy 14 times in his career.