REVEALED! Novak Djokovic’s potential path to claim the Gold Medal at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

REVEALED! Novak Djokovic’s potential path to claim the Gold Medal at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is set to play in his 4th Olympic Games and continues his hunt for the coveted Olympic Gold which is the only major laurel the Serbian is yet to win. He however does have an Olympic medal, a Bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but he has made his intentions clear of winning a Gold this year.

Novak is undoubtedly one of the favourites for the Gold medal this year given his superior form. The Serbian has won all 3 Grand Slams this year, starting with the 2021 Australian Open, followed it up with the 2021 French Open and then went on to emerge victorious again at the 2021 Wimbledon asserting his dominance on the ATP Tour.

With a historic Olympic Gold on the line, let’s have a look at the potential challengers Novak could face at the Olympics as he gets ready to dash past everyone again.

Novak Djokovic to avoid World No. 2 Medvedev and World No. 3 Tsitsipas till the finals

Novak Djokovic's serve
Novak Djokovic

It is no surprise that Novak is the top seed and has been placed first in the draws list that was recently released. He is certain to avoid his closest ranked rivals, World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas till the finals.

Novak will begin his campaign against Bolivian player Hugo Dellien in what will be their first-ever career meeting. Hugo is currently ranked World No. 139 and Djokovic looks certain to blow past him easily. In the 2nd round, Novak should expect German player Jan-Lennard Struff who Novak has defeated on all 5 occasions they have played and will Novak looks favourite to make it 6-0.

In the third round, Novak could face either Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who Novak leads 1-0 in their head-to-head tie, or Novak could be up against Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti who caused Novak problems in their first and last meeting at the 2021 French Open where the match was decided in the 5th set after Novak found himself 2-sets down going into the 3rd.

Djokovic’s Potential path to Olympic Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics:

  • 1st Round – Hugo Dellien
  • 2nd Round – Jan-Lennard Struff
  • 3rd Round – Alejandro Davidovich Fokina / Lorenzo Musetti
  • Quarter-Finals – Andrey Rublev/Kei Nishikori
  • Semi-Finals – Alexander Zverev/Hubert Hurkacz
  • Finals – Daniil Medvedev/Stefanos Tsitsipas

In the quarter-finals, local lad Kei Nishikori or the Russian youngster Andrey Rublev could be the one’s looking to stop Novak in what will be Kei’s 19th meeting with Novak while it could be the first one for Rublev.

The semi-finals will be one of the tricky clashes as he can expect the big German Alexander Zverev who has defeated him twice in their 8 meetings but Novak has not lost against Zverev in their previous 5 matches after losing two in their first 3 matches. If not Zverev, it will be Polish youngster Hubert Hurkacz challenging Novak in what will be their 3rd meeting on the tour.

In the finals, one can expect a repeat of one of the Grand Slam finals from this year. Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev in the finals of 2021 Australian Open and then defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the finals of the 2021 French Open. Neither of them has a positive record against Novak and that could be advantageous for the already dominant Serbian who has travelled to Tokyo only for the Gold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxMIslDKYYg

Also Read: Tennis at Tokyo Olympics 2020: Men’s Singles Draw Preview, Analysis and Prediction