One tennis game analyst described the French Open as the worst Grand Slam tournament, wondering why the red clay of Roland Garros was more unpredictable than the red clay of Foro Italico. Foro Italico is the site of the Italian Open. No one could tell. Not even Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian player might turn out to be a one-slam wonder after winning the 2017 French Open. Tennis at the 2024 Olympics is coming to a close, and the outcome is not what tennis betting have been predicting these past weeks. Crazy to say the least.
Roland Garros became somber when Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber announced that this (current) tennis Olympics would be their final appearance in the tour. Murray and Kerber were former top-ranked players. They have six Grand Slam titles between them. They could've won more major titles if the Big Three, or the Williams sisters, weren't around during their active days. It made older fans sadder, but life would go on.
Carlos Alcaraz can make his claim as one of the greatest. It would take an extraordinary tennis player to make a quick transition from clay to grass to clay to hard court. Jannik Sinner, the current number one player, cites his illnesses as his reasons to skip the Olympics. And no one doubted him.
The Italian ace is looking forward to the US Open Series and Asian swing. Hard-court tournaments. He has a good chance to extend his dominance in the men's tour. Carlos Alcaraz's forearm injury worried his fans, but it didn't hinder his performance. On the contrary, he had an amazing run this summer. He won his first French Open, and then defended his Wimbledon title. He’s a strong favorite to win the Olympic gold medal.
Rafael Nadal was the last one to do such a thing. Alcaraz is too good in the big events, such that there are comparisons between him and Nadal. Or between him and Roger Federer. Novak Djokovic can win another Olympic medal, an addition to the bronze that he won in Beijing in 2008, but the ATP Tour is becoming more physical than ever. In this regard, Djokovic's best days are behind him.
No one foresaw Iga Swiatek losing. The 2024 tennis season could’ve been Iga Swiatek's most memorable performance in the European clay court swing, and the Olympic gold medal would’ve capped another spectacular year for the Pole. Coco Gauff was expected to meet her in the finals, but she lost to Croatia’s Donna Vecic in the third round. The same thing happened to Jasmine Paolini, the runner-up at Roland Garros and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Everyone bet on Iga Swiatek, but she lost to Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals.
Some fans wonder if her quarterfinal match against Danielle Collins was a factor; Collins, the reigning Miami Masters winner, will bid farewell to the WTA Tour at the end of the season. She retired in the third set of her quarterfinal match against the Polish ace. The American didn’t have nice things to say about her opponent or she might be having second thoughts about hanging her tennis racquet. Qinwen, the 2024 Australian Open runner-up, is a slight favorite against Vecic, a veteran of the tour. We’re putting our money on the Croatian, though.
No one bet on Matt Ebden and John Peers. They wished they did. The Aussie pair of Matt Ebden and John Peers never played together in the ATP Tour. Aussie Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt didn't team up the two in those crucial Davis Cup rubber ties, so some home fans were surprised at their team up in the Olympics. But the best teams don't play for the same flag. (India's Rohann Bopanna is Ebden's partner.) Ebden and Peers reached the gold-medal match in the men's doubles and the Aussie duo are likely to meet the British pair of Dan Evans and Murray in the semifinals.
A doubles gold would've been a nice ending to Murray's illustrious career, but Ebden and Peers are two of the best doubles players these past years. If they win this match, and they surely would, then they are likely to meet the American pair of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek. Ram and Krajicek haven’t teamed up in the ATP Tour as well, and Krajicek won the 2023 French Open with Ivan Dodig. Nothing is certain in the red clay of Roland Garros, though.
It might be better for Barbora Krejčíkova and Katerina Siniakova to play with different partners. Katerina Siniakova won the French Open with Gauff. The Czech doubles specialist won Wimbledon with Taylor Townsend, And Siniakova and Barbora Krejčíkova reunited for the Paris Olympics. They were the defending Olympic champion, and they have a good shot of reaching the medal round in the women's doubles. But they fell short.
The Czech pair chose to part ways last year. It would be better if they played with different partners. The departure of Krejčíkova and Siniakova cleared the path for Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini. Errani, and Roberta Vince, were the fifth pair in tennis history to complete a career Golden Slam. An Olympic gold medal is the only thing missing in the Italian veteran’s trophy collection.
Are Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac the new tennis couple? You bet. Siniakova and Machac have been keeping a low profile these past years, but not a few fans noticed their photos on social media. And Machac is one of the up-and-coming players in the ATP Tour. The two decided to team up in Paris, which excited fans. And they have a very good chance to win a silver medal at least.
Your thoughts?
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