The Olympic Tennis Draws Are Confirmed, Let The Games Begin!

Paris 2024 Olympics
Andy Murray, Angelique Kerber, Rafael Nadal, Elina Svitolina and Stan Wawrinka at Olympic Tennis draw ceremony (photo: Paul Zimmer)

PARIS/WASHINGTON, July 25, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)

With Thursday’s release of the singles, doubles and mixed doubles draws for the Paris Olympic Tennis Event, there’s plenty to excite both players and fans. On Saturday, just a day after the Opening Ceremonies, play will begin on the red clay at Stade Roland Garros. The tournament runs through Sunday, Aug. 4.

In the men’s singles draw, top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who both know what it’s like to win titles at Roland-Garros, could meet in the second round if they are successful in winning their first-round matches. The long-time rivals – they’ve met 59 times on the ATP Tour – will be opposed in the first round by unranked Matthew Ebden of Australia and No. 83 Marton Fucsovics of Hungary, respectively.

“My challenge is to be ready to give my best and then we’ll see what happens,” Nadal said at the draw ceremony. “You can’t foresee how things will go, how it’s going to feel on the court. But I try to make things go well. He [Marton Fucsovics] is a good player; he always competes very well.”

Second seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, who will team in doubles with Nadal, plays No. 275 Hady Habib of Lebanon in his opening match.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Andy Murray withdrew from singles but will still play doubles with Daniel Evans in his final Olympic appearance.

“The Olympics has been incredibly special for me and there have been some amazing memories on the court, particularly in London,” Murray said, speaking at the draw ceremony.

“I’m happy I get to do this one more time. It’s unfortunate. I trained to get ready to play both, but I’m getting a bit older now so it gets harder to recover from injuries. I ran out of time.”

Murray, who plans to retire from pro tennis following the Olympics, will finish his career with a 739-262 win-loss record in singles. He garnered 46 titles, including Olympic gold medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games.

Men’s World No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy withdrew from the Olympic Tennis Event on Wednesday citing tonsillitis. World No. 16 Holger Rune of Denmark also pulled out of the competition due to injury.

Meanwhile, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek tops the women’s draw and will play No. 136 Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round. World No. 2 and second seed Coco Gauff of the United States opens against No. 123 Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia.

A high-profile matchup of former World No. 1s, major champions and moms will take place in the opening round when Angelique Kerber of Germany takes on Naomi Osaka of Japan. Kerber announced before the draw that the Olympics would be her final tournament. It will be the first meeting on clay between Kerber and Osaka. The winner could face No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the second round.

“It’s a tough match [against Naomi Osaka in the first round],” Kerber said at the draw ceremony. “I think it will be a good and interesting match, but I’m ready for that. I prepared as  good as I can. I’m really looking forward playing against her.”

Kerber announces retirement

The Paris Olympics will be the last dance for Olympic silver medalist and three-time major champion Angelique Kerber. On Thursday, the 36-year-old German announced her decision to retire from tennis in Paris prior to the Olympic draw ceremony. Now ranked 217th, Kerber will face fellow former World No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan, ranked 102nd, in the first round.

“The finish line,” Kerber wrote on social media. “Before the Olympics begin, I can already say that I will never forget #Paris2024, because it will be my last professional tournament as a tennis player. And whereas this might actually be the right decision, it will never feel that way. Simply because I love the sport with all my heart and I’m thankful for the memories and opportunities it has given me.

“The Olympics, I’ve participated in so far, have been more than just competitions as they represent different chapters of my life as a tennis player: the climb, the peak … and the finish line. …”

Kerber, who won the Australian Open and US Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2018, was a silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She turned professional in 2003 and won 14 WTA singles titles, most recently at Strasbourg in 2022.

“It was always a dream when I was a kid to win a medal,” Kerber said at the draw ceremony. “When I won silver at Rio 2016, it was a dream come true for sure. To travel back with a medal feels good. To have it on my back in my career that I can always say that I won a medal, it means a lot.”

Svitolina will be Ukraine’s flag bearer

Elina Svitolina, one of four Ukrainians competing in the women’s singles draw along with Marta Kostyuk, Dayana Yastremska and Anhelina Kalinina, has been confirmed as Ukraine’s flag bearer for Friday’s Opening Ceremonies.

The 31st-ranked Svitolina, who will play 66th-ranked Moyuka Uchijima of Japan in the first round, spoke during the draw ceremony. She said: “It’s a huge honor to represent my country, tobe among so many great Ukrainian athletes. It’s always been such a privilege to represent Ukraine. I just saw Roland Garros six weeks ago and it looks very different, but I’m happy these Olympics are in Paris and it’s going to be another special one.”

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