5 favorites to win women’s singles gold at Paris Olympics
Iga Swiatek is the active player with the most success in Paris.
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Iga Swiatek (Via Imago)
The Paris Olympics are on the cusp of starting, and there are some interesting headlines coming from the women’s tennis side. Every player announcing their participation has arrived in the French capital. The tennis schedule is projected to run from July 27 to August 4.
The gold medalists of the last three editions are not in this year’s competition. Belinda Bencic, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, is unavailable due to maternity leave. Monica Puig (2016 Gold Medalist) and Serena Williams (2012 Gold Medalist) have retired.
Additionally, there are some notable absentees. Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa, Madison Keys, and Ons Jabeur will not be in the running for the elusive gold. Here is the list of the top five WTA players projected to win the elusive singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
5. Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina, the third seed, has not yet performed well in major tournaments this year. However, she seems to have a good chance of winning an Olympic medal. Kazakhstan did not win any gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, so a gold medal in Paris from Rybakina would be a big boost for the country.
The 25-year-old reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros and the semi-finals at Wimbledon this year. She had a strong clay court season, winning in Stuttgart and narrowly losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid semi-finals. With 12 wins out of 14 matches on clay this season, she will be tough to beat if she plays well.
4. Jasmine Paolini
Italy’s tennis field at the Paris Olympics took a massive hit on Wednesday as World No.1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Games. The Australian Open champion was unable to recover from the virus he contracted during the Wimbledon quarterfinal against Daniil Medvedev. As a result, Jasmine Paolini now has the highest-profile tennis player from her country.
Despite her impressive season, Paolini, who reached the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon, has been overlooked by sportsbooks. Bookies have noted that she struggles in finals, but playing for her country might boost her performance if she faces Iga Swiatek in Paris again.
This is similar to what happened in 2012 when Andy Murray lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon but then won against him at the London Olympics. Paolini shows great potential to win a major tournament, and it would be unwise to dismiss her chances.
3. Barbora Krejcikova
Barbora Krejcikova has had a month to cherish. After overcoming illness and lack of form, the Czech tennis player beat all the odds to win her second singles Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.
Additionally, she has had great success on clay. She won Roland Garros in 2021 and also has a few doubles titles to her name in Paris. Moreover, she won the gold medal in women’s doubles in Tokyo. Hence, she likes her chances for another Olympic glory if she advances deep in the event.
During her memorable Wimbledon campaign, Krejcikova touched on the subject of Jana Novotna, her coach who passed away in 2017. She said that she would have never imagined that her name would be alongside Novotna’s on the Winner’s column at Wimbledon.
Now, Krejcikova hopes to have her name alongside her late coach in Olympic history as well. Novotna has two silver and one bronze medal to her name, claiming bronze in singles in 1996. Looking at that, Krejcikova hopes to emulate Novotna once again.
2. Coco Gauff
Is there a more motivated tennis player at the Paris Olympics than Coco Gauff? The second seed will be the flag bearer for the USA this year alongside NBA star LeBron James. Moreover, she has Serena Williams‘ shoes to fill.
Gauff recently wrote an open letter to her 17-year-old self, discussing the transformation in her tennis career. She mainly touched on the impact of Williams on her career, who has gone from being her idol to her friend.
The 20-year-old was unable to participate in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 because she contracted the coronavirus. Now fit and healthy, Gauff is ready to carry the American tennis torch from the 23-time singles Grand Slam champion.
Gauff has a 20-5 record at Roland Garros, including a semi-final appearance this year. Her best result was a runner-up finish in 2022. Her last three defeats at the French Open have all come against Iga Swiatek. Hence, she would hope to get another shot against the World No. 1 in Paris.
1. Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek is the clear favorite for the Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics, especially considering that the tournament is taking place at Roland Garros. The World No. 1 has been an irresistible force on the dirt, especially this year, winning Madrid and Rome back to back before capturing her fourth Roland Garros title.
Despite her shocking early loss at Wimbledon, Swiatek would love to return to her favorite surface. The Polish star has a 35-2 record at Roland Garros and is currently on a 19-match winning streak on clay.
The biggest challenge for Swiatek will be the transition from grass to clay. It won’t be easy, considering the ball plays low on grass and the points finish quickly. However, this is where her experience comes into play, and she will be fine after getting past a few rounds.
It must be noted that she had a hiccup at this year’s Roland Garros early on against Naomi Osaka. The former World No. 1 was at match point in the third set before Swiatek won the last three games to avoid a massive upset and eventually went on to win the title again.
This is the second appearance of Swiatek in an Olympic event. She participated in the Tokyo Olympics, where she was eliminated in the second round by Paula Badosa. The only reason others may have a chance against her would be the expectations of representing Poland.
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Fahad Hamid
(713 Articles Published)