By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Thursday, July 25, 2024
The Paris Olympics men's draw presents potential second-round showdown between Grand Slam King Novak Djokovic and King of Clay Rafael Nadal.
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
The Paris Olympics is looking like a Royal Slam.
The Olympic draws were conducted today and present a kingly clash in round two.
More: Alcaraz on Lessons Learned from Nadal
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are on course for their record-extending 60th career showdown in the Paris second round.
See the Olympic men’s singles draw here.
The Olympic tennis tournament starts on Saturday, July 27th at Roland Garros and concludes on August 4th.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal due to tonsillitis elevates Djokovic to top seed.
Grand Slam King Novak Djokovic will face King of Rafael Nadal in the second round—if both win their openers. Djokovic owns a 30-29 edge over Nadal in the most prolific rivalry in ATP history.
"I'm very excited about this duel in the second round and I'm going to give it my all," Djokovic said at Team Serbia's media day. "I am aware of the importance of the Olympics. But I represent my country, it's more pressure, more responsibilities even if I'm used to it."
Playing for his first career gold medal, 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic opens against Aussie Matthew Ebden.
The 37-year-old Serbian superstar returns to Paris after undergoing surgery to repair a torn medial meniscus in his right knee on Wednesday, June 5th in the City of Light.
Djokovic made a successful comeback at Wimbledon battling into the final where he fell 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 to defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Still, questions swirl as the top seed has not beaten a Top 10 ranked player since he stopped Jannik Sinner last November in the 2023 ATP Finals title match.
Fourteen-time Roland Garros champion Nadal will take on Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in his Olympics opener.
The two-time Olympic gold-medal champion Nadal—he won singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and partnered buddy Marc Lopez to claim the 2016 doubles gold in Rio—owns an astounding 112-4 Roland Garros record and a lifetime of show-stopping moments on Paris’ red clay.
Yet Nadal was bounced out of the French Open first round by Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 last May—in the Spanish left-hander’s first major match in 495 days and first since he underwent hip surgery in June of 2023.
How will Nadal, who is also playing doubles with compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, respond physically after playing a four-hour three-setter last week en route to the Bastad final where he lost to Nuno Borges?
We will soon learn the answers to those questions.
Reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz will face Hady Habib in the first round with a potential second-round match against either Tallon Griekspoor or Cameron Norrie.
Blockbuster Olympic opening-round matches include:
(11) Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) vs. Gael Monfils (France)
(7) Taylor Fritz (USA) vs. Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan)
(5) Alex de Minaur (Australia) vs. Jan-Lennard Struff (Germany)