5 favorites to win men’s singles gold at Paris Olympics
Jannik Sinner, the current World No. 1, is the major miss in the soon to be starting Summer Games.
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Check out the top favorites contesting for the men's gold medal at the Paris Olympics (Via Imago/Olympics)
A total of 64 players will compete for the prestigious Olympic gold medal on the clay courts of Paris, starting on July 27. As always, certain players stand out as favorites due to their current form and proficiency on clay.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner would have been among the top contenders, but the Italian has withdrawn from the event due to illness. However, even with high-ranking players withdrawing, there are plethora of candidates remain in the Olympics draw among the men’s category who can provide ample amount of entertainment and bag the ultimate medal.
In the article below, you will find below the top five players in men’s singles who can win gold at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
5. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas has an impressive clay career record. He boasts of a 26-8 overall record at the Roland Garros and five titles on the red court. He recently won the Monte Carlo title in April and reached the Barcelona Open. The Greek ace has a good experience playing on the Roland Garros court, having reached the final once and two quarterfinals.
The Greek will be aiming to bounce back following a poor Wimbledon performance, exiting in the second round. He is another dark horse player who without a doubt fans must watch out for.
4. Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev has been in superb form on clay this season as well. The German ace has been to three clay tournament finals this year. He won the Italian Open despite not impressing at the Madrid Open. Zverev took the Rome confidence into the Roland Garros, beating Rafael Nadal in the first round and eventually reaching the final.
He lost to Alcaraz in five set and proved how good he is on the clay surface. Last week, he narrowly failed to defend his German Open, losing the title to Arthur Fils. He won gold for Germany at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and will be hoping to become a two-time gold medalist at the event.
3. Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev will play as a neutral player at Olympics, but that wouldn’t be a big problem for the Russian who has played on the big stage several times in his career. He will be heading to the Roland Garros court as one of the dark horses despite not reaching any clay final this season.
Medvedev has been a clay champion, beating Holger Rune to win the Italian Open last year. He reached the Australian Open final in January, losing to Sinner and lost the Indian Wells title to Alcaraz in March. His experience cannot be overlooked at the Paris Olympics, especially having to enter the event knowing he reached the semifinals of the recently concluded Wimbledon.
2. Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic has competed in four Olympic Games but is yet to win a gold medal at the event. He has been regarded as one of the greatest players to ever grace the court, but only has a bronze medal to show for it. Nole has struggled this season and is yet to win a title despite being the favorite ahead of the year to clinch at least two Grand Slam titles.
However, the 37-year-old has showed resilience and champion mentality in this tough season. He suffered a knee injury at the French Open but surprisingly returned to the court earlier than predicted. At All England Club, he was hoping to win his eighth Wimbledon title but lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final. He will be aiming to use the momentum and win the gold medal for the first time at the Summer Games.
1. Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz grew up playing on the red court in his hometown in Murcia with the dream of winning a clay event. He made the dream come true by winning the French Open in June, beating Zverev in a five-set epic thriller. The Spaniard has been having a great season so far despite beginning poorly.
Alcaraz regrouped in March and has since won three titles, including two Grand Slam events. He recently defended his Wimbledon Championship by beating Djokovic in the final. Even though this is his first Olympics, the youngster has proven to play without fear or emotions on the big stages.
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Victor Okechukwu
(688 Articles Published)