Tennis at the Summer Olympics is always one of the most anticipated events, but Paris 2024 might just take the cake. Numerous storylines from the world of tennis are in play, as the iconic Roland Garros welcomes the Olympics. The king of Roland Garros – Rafael Nadal – may be playing competitive tennis for the final time. He will be going for a third individual gold. His age-old rival Novak Djokovic is aiming for the one gold missing from his illustrious cabinet. Olympics 2024 is also certainly Andy Murray’s swansong. And between all this, a new demon has taken the world of tennis by storm.

Carlos Alcaraz heads into Paris 2024 having conquered the two most revered courts on earth in succession, winning the French Open and Wimbledon this year. However, perhaps more than the individual clash of titans, fans are also eagerly looking forward to Alcaraz and Nadal playing the men’s doubles together, representing Spain. A poetic pass of the baton from Nadal to Alcaraz sets up an almost Shakespearean storyline.

For India, Rohan Bopanna will pair up with N Sriram Balaji for the men’s doubles category, whilst Sumit Nagal will play the men’s singles.

Format

In Paris 2024, much like every other edition, tennis will have five separate categories: women’s singles, men’s singles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Apart from five editions, the bronze medal has been won by the winner of the match between the two losing semi-finalists. It remains the same in Paris.

Since 2021,  the deciding set (third) has a 7-point tiebreaker game to decide the match at 6-all. Should the tiebreaker game be tied at 6-all, whoever scores two straight points wins it.

History

The United States hold the most Olympic golds in the Open era, as well as all-time. Great Britain were the country to beat in the Amateur Era, but the United States have dominated in the Open Era.

The Williams sisters hold the most individual medals in Olympics history, but it is Venus who has one more than Serena. Both boast three golds in women’s doubles and a women’s singles gold, but Venus also won a silver in the Rio 2016 mixed doubles.

Among active male players, Andy Murray has three medals, two of them men’s singles gold (2012, 2016). Rafael Nadal has a singles gold (2008) and a doubles gold (2016). Alexander Zverev is the reigning men’s singles champion.

Leander Paes won India’s only Olympic tennis medal in Atlanta 1996, with a men’s singles bronze. Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi narrowly missed out on a doubles medal in Athens 2004, finishing fourth.

Carlos Alcaraz lifts the Wimbledon 2024 title after beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final.© AFP

Sachin Tendulkar said that one tennis player he would love to bat with was Roger Federer (right).
| Photo Credit: X/@sachin_rt

Batting icon Sachin Tendulkar has picked the legendary Roger Federer as one tennis player he would have loved to bat with given the latter’s “cricket connection” and interest in the sport.

A regular at the Wimbledon over the years, Tendulkar met Federer when he visited the centre court in London to watch some tennis action on Saturday.

“One tennis player I would love to bat with has to be Roger because also he’s got cricketing connections,” Tendulkar told Star Sports on the sidelines of Wimbledon.

“His mother is from South Africa and he follows cricket and when we sat together and chatted we discussed a lot of cricket not just tennis so it has to be Roger.”

The 51-year-old from Mumbai also said he loved playing tennis with the late Australian spin great Shane Warne and former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and described them as cricketers who would make best doubles partners.

“There are two strong contenders unfortunately we lost Shane Warne a couple of years ago but I enjoyed playing tennis with Warne in fact we played together in London and the other guy is from Indian cricket team Yuvraj Singh who has also retired but Warne and Yuvraj would be the ones.”

Era of Djokovic, Federer, Nadal has come to an end: Shastri

Former India coach and player Ravi Shastri feels Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the future stars with the era of Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal having come to an end.

“The era of Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, you feel is coming to an end, or has come to an end, and it’ll be Sinner and Alcaraz who will keep the flag flying,” Shastri said on the sidelines of the Wimbledon.

“As far as the competition goes they’ll have some great battles in the future and we hope another couple come on the way.”

Talking about his favourite player in Wimbledon, Shastri said, “At the moment, Alcaraz, I saw that final last year, in that fifth set, he’s, got some energy, some strength.

“When I saw him first, it reminded me of young Nadal, the way he whacked that ball, the power with which he hit it and he’s like a bull in that fifth set, you take him to the fifth set, you better be fit, otherwise he’ll clean you up.”

Shastri also went down memory lanes and narrated how he met multiple Grand Slam winner Jimmy Connors.

“The first time I ever came into the Wimbledon was in 1982, when Connors won it and Vijay brought us in and he took us into the dressing room, he took Sunny and me into the locker room, as they say, not the dressing room and met Jimmy Connors at that time and I’ve been coming ever since.”

Novak Djokovic can equal Roger Federer’s record for Grand Slam match wins by beating Lorenzo Musetti at the French Open on Saturday. Defending champion Djokovic, chasing a fourth title at Roland Garros and 25th career major, will go level with the retired Federer on 369 victories at the Slams if he sees off the Italian 30th seed and makes the last 16. Djokovic has defeated Musetti four times in five meetings. However the Italian gave the Serb a major scare at the French Open in 2021 when he won the first two sets of their fourth round clash before retiring injured in the decider.

“There is always that kind of conviction and belief inside of me I can win a Slam. That’s the reason why I’m still competing at this level,” said the 37-year-old Djokovic.

Djokovic arrived in Paris under a cloud having not won a title or even reached a final in the season for the first time since 2018.

Adding injury to insult, he was accidentally hit on the head by a metal water bottle in Rome before suffering stomach problems in Geneva.

However, he hasn’t dropped a set in two matches and cracked an impressive 43 winners past Spain’s 63rd-ranked Roberto Carballes Baena on Thursday, dropping just seven games.

German fourth seed Alexander Zverev, who has made the semi-finals in each of the last three years, started this French Open by likely ending the Roland Garros career of 14-time champion Rafael Nadal.

“Since the draw came out, the only thing the tennis world was talking about was that match,” said Zverev.

Best friends clash

“He won the tournament 14 times, so he deserves all the credit and respect and all the acknowledgements he gets. So after I beat him I felt that I had already won the tournament, but in the end it is only a first round.”

On Saturday, Zverev tackles Dutch 26th seed Tallon Griekspoor and has shown no indication of being distracted by the start in Berlin of a trial against him over allegations of assaulting an ex-girlfriend.

Casper Ruud, the runner-up to Nadal and then Djokovic in the last two seasons, needed five sets to see off Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round.

The seventh-seeded Norwegian faces Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry who made the third round when his French opponent Arthur Rinderknech retired with a foot injury caused by kicking out in frustration at an advertising hoarding.

In the women’s tournament, second seeded Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and former world number two Paula Badosa must put their close friendship to one side when they clash for a last 16 place.

“It’s always tough to play your best friend on tour, but we know how to manage that,” said Sabalenka who has reached at least the third round in her past 14 Grand Slam appearances.

Mirra Andreeva, just 17, made the third round for a second successive year by seeing off former world number one and two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka in a three-set duel which ended in the early hours of Friday.

Andreeva, ranked 38, will face Peyton Stearns of the United States as she attempts to make the last 16 of a Slam for the third time.