With only 9 days to go, the race for the elusive gold medal is heating up with Roger Federer pulling out at the last moment because of the recurring knee injury. The Olympics has always been the toughest hurdle to jump through for the athletes who seek the highest honour in a century old competition. Tennis has been a regular part of the Olympics since 1988 and has been played on different surfaces since its inception. This time it's on hard courts making it fast paced and highly competitive. The matches will begin on July 24th till August 1st.
Nadal, Thiem, Shapovalov, Kyrgios, Wawrinka, Isner won't be playing this year and Djokovic, who is seeking a historic Olympic crown will be on the course of becoming the first male player to win the Golden Slam but after his victory in the Wimbledon, he may or may not play. The Gold medal has been won by Agassi, Nadal and most recently Murray. Players like Federer, Sampras, Djokovic have not stood on top of the podium and this time it will be a rare chance for the debutants to seize the crown. The next gen will see this as the perfect opportunity to take the medal home and make their country proud. In tennis news Medvedev, Zverev and Tsitsipas will be making their debut this time, players like Schwartzman, De Minaur, Auger-Aliassime, Cilic, Monfils are also there to stage an upset in the draw. Since this will be a hard court, it will be a fast paced game and will give an advantage for the heavy hitters such as Andrey Rublev and Matteo Berrettini. Andy Murray has not been in form in recent times after his early exit from Wimbledon and his recent hip surgery which has halted him from his earlier form. The favourite is Murray given his history at the Olympics, but there can be major upsets this time.
Berrettini is in form after finishing runner up in Wimbledon and he can come up strong and hit his hammer forehands across the court. Speaking of hard hitters, Rublev is also not far behind. It is time for him to shine in the big stages of the game and if it is his best day, Rublev can become the second Russian to win a gold medal at this event. Monfils and Cilic have been in the shadows of the big four, they are indeed great players and will be looking for redemption on the court. Many players have lost their prime years to the big four and this time it will be an unpredictable draw and there is a feeling that the underdogs will come out on top. Last time Djokovic lost in the first round, history at the Olympics has not been kind to tennis players who are on top of their game outside the Olympics.
Young players will have their next chances but older players might not be present at the next Olympics. It will be interesting to see who can increase their country’s medal tally. Covid has affected every subject matter in these two years so there will be no spectators around, the players will have to boost their own morale after every point, the crowd chants will be missed and we will have to see the heroics through a screen.
Interesting fact: Leander Paes is the only Indian tennis player to win an Olympic medal. He won bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the men’s singles.
