Djokovic and Nadal could meet in the second round of the Paris Olympics, while Swiatek will first face Begu
PARIS — Top seed Novak Djokovic could face long-time rival Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Paris Olympic tennis tournament.
Djokovic was drawn against Australian Matthew Ebden on Thursday and Nadal will face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, with the winners of those matches meeting in the second round.
At 38, Nadal has won 14 of his record 22 major titles at Roland Garros. He won singles gold in Beijing in 2008 and doubles gold with Marc López in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
“Roland Garros, as everyone knows, is the most special place in tennis for me. I’m thrilled to be back for the Olympics,” Nadal said on stage after the draw. “I’m just trying to enjoy every moment.”
Roland-Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz faces Lebanese player Hady Habib.
Poland’s Iga Swiatek, seeded number one, will face Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round of the women’s draw, while American Coco Gauff, seeded number two, will face Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović.
Gauff East the reigning US Open champion She is making her Olympic debut. She will be the flag bearer for Team USA at Friday’s opening ceremony, alongside basketball star LeBron James. She will be the first tennis athlete to carry the American flag.
Djokovic And Swiatek have not won Olympic gold.
Djokovic has 24 Grand Slam trophies, more than anyone in tennis except Margaret Court, but his only Olympic medal was bronze in Beijing in 2008.
Swiatek has won the French Open four of the last five years on the same circuit. clay courts at Roland Garros.
Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka of Japan faces three-time major champion Angelique Kerber of Germany.
First-round matches for both men and women begin Saturday, with the highest-ranked player not playing. Jannik Sinner has retired Wednesday due to tonsillitis. The 22-year-old Italian posted on X that he followed medical advice asking him not to participate in the Summer Games.
Tokyo Games Champion Alexander Zverev Germany’s Alex de Minaur plays against Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
Double Olympic champion Andy Murray withdraws from singles but will play men’s doubles alongside Dan Evans in his farewell to tennis.
Murray, 37, a three-time Grand Slam champion, won singles gold in London in 2012 and Rio four years later. Since undergoing hip replacement surgery in 2019, he has struggled with various injuries and withdrew from the singles at Wimbledon because he needed surgery to remove a cyst from his spine.
“The Olympics was a very special experience for me. I’m really happy to be able to do it again,” Murray said on stage. “I just didn’t have enough time (to play singles), but I’m happy to be in doubles with Dan and we’re playing well together.”
In the women’s doubles, top-seeded American pair Gauff and Jessica Pegula faced Australian pair Daria Saville and Ellen Perez.
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