Alexander Zverev will have a tough time defending his gold medal that he won in the Tokyo Olympics, as he will face stiff competition here in Olympics 2024.
To be fair, the German international remains one of the favourites to win the men’s singles competition, according to the Olympics 2024 odds, but with some of the top ATP players declaring for the tournament, he’ll get a huge run for his money.
Some of the top ATP players include Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, the finalists at this year’s Wimbledon last week. Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal announced his return to the quadrennial meet after not playing in Tokyo the last time around.
With the Paris Olympics just around the corner, SBOTOP tennis fans have the right to be excited, and we’re here to bring you the latest Olympics 2024 updates.
Nadal aims to make his last hurrah count
Rafael Nadal hasn’t played in over two months since losing to Alexander Zverev in the first round of Roland Garros, as he is managing his load ahead of the Paris Olympics. The time to recharge his batteries has seemingly paid off, as he looks great so far in the ongoing Swedish Open.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner didn’t show any signs of rust, as he dispatched Leo Borg and Cameron Norrie in the Round of 32 and Round of 16 without dropping a single set. And just last night, Rafael Nadal outlasted Mariano Navone in the quarter-finals with a score of 6-7(2), 7-5, 7-5.
After dropping the first set, Nadal withstood a late flurry from Navone to force a third. Navone appeared to have taken control again early in the third set when he broke Nadal’s serve in the second game to go up 2-0, but the Spaniard clawed his way back, winning five straight games before Navone recovered from a double break down to draw level at 5-5.
Nadal would break Navone’s serve in the 11th game of the penultimate set, and he held on to grab his 10th tour-level victory this year.
Duje Ajdukovic awaits Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. Whether he loses or not, Nadal can sleep well at night knowing that he still has it, as shown in his grueling encounter with Navone that lasted nearly four hours.
Nadal is certainly excited to be back at Roland Garros, where the Olympic matches are going to be held. He is the King of Clay, after all.
Djokovic eager to add an Olympic gold medal in his resume
Novak Djokovic is on the worst start to a season (by his lofty standards) since 2006 because he has yet to win a title this year. He came so close last week as he reached the Wimbledon final, but he lost to Carlos Alcaraz with the score of 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4).
The 37-year-old was badly outplayed by his 21-year-old counterpart, as Alcaraz overpowered Djokovic with his deft drop shots and sizzling forehands. It got so bad for Djokovic that he admitted after the match that he is “not at that level.”
With the loss, Djokovic’s fitness concerns were raised anew ahead of the Paris Olympics, especially since he underwent knee surgery last month. Despite making a remarkable comeback at Wimbledon to reach his record-extending 37th major final, the Serb ran out of gas, so he comes to Paris not in his best form.
But perhaps winning his first-ever Olympic gold medal this year would be the perfect cure for his ills. As of this writing, Djokovic only has one Olympic medal in his CV, winning bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Among ATP players with at least 20 Grand Slams, Novak Djokovic is the only one to not have an Olympic gold medal, and he plans to change that narrative.
Alcaraz is the hot favourite in Paris
In stark contrast, Carlos Alcaraz is the prohibitive favourite to win gold in Paris because he is in the best form of his life. The 21-year-old wunderkind already has four Grand Slams and is coming off consecutive wins at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Inspired by his country’s Euro 2024 triumph, Alcaraz will be looking to win his first-ever gold medal in his maiden Olympic appearance. He will have two shots at it, as he’s expected to play singles and team up with Rafael Nadal in doubles competition. Perhaps the biggest challenge for Alcaraz in the Paris Olympics is adjusting to doubles competition since he has only played nine matches in the team format, and this is where Nadal’s extensive experience comes in handy.
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