‘Frustrated’ Matthew Ebden asks fans to finish his match after getting hammered by Novak Djokovic at Paris Olympics

Djokovic ended up winning 6-0, 6-1 and progress to the second round.

‘Frustrated’ Matthew Ebden asks fans to finish his match after getting hammered by Novak Djokovic at Paris Olympics

Novak Djokovic defeated Matthew Ebden at the Paris Olympics (via Imago)

Novak Djokovic began his 2024 Paris Olympics campaign in such a strong fashion that his opponent Matthew Ebden offered fans on Court Philippe Chatrier the chance to take his place and finish the match.

The tennis tournament at the Summer Games began on Saturday (July 27), with Djokovic taking on Ebden in the first round. The Serbian has spoken about his desire to win the elusive gold medal many times recently and put in a performance that showed he meant business.

Djokovic needed just 24 minutes to bagel Ebden and take the lead in the match. He then went 2-0 in the second set thanks to an early break. Losing the eighth game in a row frustrated the Australian, who immediately turned to the crowd.

FS Video

He offered his racket to anyone in the crowd who would be willing to step in for him, which brought out some laughter in the stands.

Ebden, who is more of a doubles specialist, got into the singles draw as a lucky loser after Andy Murray‘s withdrawal. His last singles match on the ATP tour was in 2022, and it showed in the French capital. He somehow managed to get on the scoreboard when he was down 6-0, 4-0, and the fans made it a point to cheer loudly for that.

It was all but a blip for Djokovic ended up winning 6-0, 6-1 in a mere 53 minutes and progress to the second round.

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Novak Djokovic could face Rafael Nadal in the second round at the Paris Olympics

Novak Djokovic could face arch-rival Rafael Nadal in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympics. It all depends on the Spaniard winning his opening-round contest.

Novak Djokovic(L), Rafael Nadal(R)
Novak Djokovic(L), Rafael Nadal(R) (Via Imago)

Nadal is scheduled to face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the first round on Sunday. They have never met on the ATP tour and it is difficult to predict the outcome of the tie as Nadal has not been at his best for the last two years.

However, it is not clear if the Spaniard will even take part in the match as a thigh injury could prevent him from participating in the singles. There is no official word on his fitness as of now, but several reports indicate that he might pull out to concentrate on the doubles with his partner Carlos Alcaraz.

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