Spain's Rafael Nadal and Serbia's Novak Djokovic, two tennis legends with a combined 46 Grand Slam singles titles, could potentially face each other in the second round of the Paris Olympics tennis tournament. The draw, released recently, places Djokovic as the top seed while Nadal remains unseeded.
The last time these historic rivals met was over two years ago, with Nadal emerging victorious in the 2022 Roland Garros quarterfinals. Nadal went on to claim his 14th Roland Garros title. The Olympic tennis event is scheduled to run from July 27 to August 4.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner's withdrawal due to tonsillitis has left Djokovic as the top seed, with world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz as the No. 2 seed. Alcaraz recently defeated Djokovic in straight sets at Wimbledon, where he clinched his second Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz, on a 14-match Grand Slam winning streak, will be competing in his first Olympics in both singles and doubles, partnering with his idol Nadal in the doubles event. Djokovic, who made a comeback from meniscus surgery at Wimbledon, is yet to secure an Olympic gold medal.
Defending Olympic champion Alexander Zverev of Germany is seeded third and could potentially face American Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals. Other anticipated matchups include Djokovic against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev against Casper Ruud, and Alcaraz against Alex De Minaur.
The Paris Olympics will kick off with men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, and women's doubles first-round matches following the Opening Ceremony. The medal matches for mixed doubles, men's doubles, and women's singles will take place on August 2, with the men's singles bronze medal match and men's doubles final scheduled for August 3. The men's singles gold medal match will be the highlight on August 4.
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