The 2024 Paris Olympic Games men’s tennis draw was revealed on Thursday, and a potential matchup between two of the big four looms on the tournament horizon.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Rafael Nadal will face off against Hungary’s Marton Fuscovics, currently ranked No. 83 in Round 1.
The Spaniard, who enters the tournament unseeded, is set to play what could be his last Games. Nadal has battled injuries over the last 18 months, and last June, he underwent surgery on his left hip flexor. Between 2023 and 2024, Nadal only played six tournaments before his first-round match at Roland-Garros. Should Nadal successfully oust Fuscovics, he could play world No. 2, Novak Djokovic in a second-round battle.
Djokovic enters the Games as the all-time leader for Grand Slam titles in history, but still lacks an Olympic gold medal in his expansive trophy case. The Paris Games will be Djokovic’s fifth appearance – and potentially his last. At 37, he is on the back end of his career. His best Olympic appearance was during his debut in 2008, when he won a bronze medal. Since then, the Serbian has failed to win another medal, and time to do so is dwindling. Djokovic has a lot against him entering Paris.
The Serbian, seeded No. 1, is set to face-off against Australia’s Matthew Ebden, who received a last-minute entry into the Games after Holger Rune announced his withdrawal in the men’s singles event on Wednesday citing an on-going wrist injury.
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, seeded No. 2, will begin his debut Olympic campaign against Lebanon’s Hady Habib. 20-year-old Alcaraz enters the tournament as the world ranked No. 3, and recently took home both the 2024 French Open and Wimbledon titles.
Reigning Olympic men’s champion Alexander Zverev will duel with Spain’s Jaume Munar in the first round. Zverev captured the gold in Tokyo after dominating Karen Khachanov in the final, 6-3, 6-1. 2024 has proven a successful year for Zverev, as he’s made final appearances three of the four Grand Slams so far, but has failed to take home a title.
Also in Zverev’s quarter of the draw is top American man Taylor Fritz, seeded No. 7. Out of the American men, Fritz’s has proven himself the most agile American man on clay this year. During this year’s clay court season, Fritz became the first U.S. man to reach the quarterfinals or better of all three clay-court master’s 1000 tournaments, leading the young player to playfully dub himself “Claylor.”
Fritz will tangle with Kazhakstan’s Alexander Bublik in the first round. Fritz could potentially face a determined Lorenzo Musetti in the third round, should the Italian continue his recent win streak. The pair recently faced off in a five-set quarterfinal at Wimbledon, where Musetti came out on top before falling to eventual runner up eventual runner up Djokovic in straight-sets in the semifinal.
Noticeably missing from the men’s singles draw is world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Denmark’s Holger Rune, Hubert Hurkacz and two-time gold medalist Andy Murray, who announced prior to the draw that he would only compete in the men’s doubles event.
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