Paris Olympics 2024: Carlos Alcaraz's Projected Path to Gold Medal

Carlos Alcaraz is one of the favorites to win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Carlos Alcaraz will make his Olympic debut on Saturday, July 27, when he takes on Lebanese Hady Habib. The Suzanne-Lenglen Court in the iconic Roland Garros stadium will play host to the match. Alcaraz has been experiencing an absolute peak, having completed the Channel Slam recently at the age of 21.

Despite not starting off the clay season well and having some injury concerns, the Spaniard was at his best in the French Open, eventually coming from 1-2 behind to defeat fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the final.

He then lifted the Wimbledon title for the second time running, overcoming a tough draw and eventually absolutely decimating Serb legend Novak Djokovic in the final.

He will now be hoping to stand at the top of the podium in Paris and have the Spanish National Anthem play at the end of the men’s singles final. Interestingly, he will also play men’s doubles with the ‘King of Clay’, Rafael Nadal.

While he will be challenged by potential fatigue as well as the lack of game time on clay in the lead-up to the Olympics, he will be relentless in his pursuit of gold. Who are the potential candidates who could be standing in his way? Let’s have a look.

First Round: Hady Habib

The second seed has an easy first round match-up. He will be up against World No. 275 Hady Habib. The Lebanese player, who gained entry into the competition due to unexpected withdrawals, has played only one match on the ATP Tour in his entire career. It would be very difficult for him to challenge a player of Alcaraz’s caliber.

Second Round: Tallon Griekspoor/Cameron Norrie

Alcaraz will be up against the winner of the clash between Tallon Griekspoor and Cameron Norrie. There is nothing much to separate the two; this will be the first meeting between them. However, Alcaraz does have a good record against both of them and will be very confident in his chances.

Third Round: Alejandro Tabilo

The four-time Grand Slam winner will be potentially up against fifteenth seed Alejandro Tabilo of Chile in the third round. Although Tabilo has not lifted any titles recently, he has reached the business end in several tournaments in the last few months. He will, though, have to punch above his weight against an opponent, who has a blemish-free record against him.

Quarterfinal: Alex De Minaur/Tommy Paul

In the likelihood of Alcaraz reaching her unscathed, he will have to potentially contend with a top player, to progress. The two major contenders who could have a potential quarterfinal clash with the Spaniard, are fifth-seed Australian Alex De Minaur and ninth-seed American Tommy Paul.

Alex de Minaur has slowly worked his way up the rankings and become a force to reckon with. He reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and the Wimbledon, with him giving a walkover in the grass court Major.

Tommy Paul has also been in decent touch recently, having won the Queen’s Club Championships, before reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. However, he has not been able to defeat the Australian tennis star in five meetings between them and might have to fight the mental hurdle of changing that.

Just like his previous projected opponents, Alcaraz has a positive matchup against both. Minaur is yet to find success against Carlos. Meanwhile, the American trails by a small margin of 3-2 against the 21-year-old.

Semifinal: Danii Medvedev/Casper Ruud

If the Olympic debutant emerges as the winner of his quarter, standing between him and the gold medal match could be fourth-seed Daniil Medvedev or sixth-seed Casper Ruud. While Medvedev has the bigger reputation, Ruud has a greater chance of making the semifinals. This is primarily because Medvedev relishes hard courts, while Ruud is mainly a clay court player.

Medvedev had a good run at the Wimbledon, including a tremendous victory against Jannik Sinner. However, he ran into a marauding Alcaraz in the semifinal. On the other, Ruud suffered a second-round loss at the Wimbledon but managed to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros. Paris has been a happy hunting ground for him, reaching the finals in 2022 and 2023.

For the umpteenth time, Alcaraz leads in the head-to-head record against them. Additionally, Ruud is part of the long list of players, who have never won a single match against the Spaniard.

Final: Novak Djokovic/Alexander Zverev

If the Spanish tennis ace reaches the gold medal match, he would have to potentially contend with first seed Novak Djokovic or third seed Alexander Zverev, to win his second title in the same arena in the space of two months.

Djokovic looks to be the likelier opponent, having overcome knee surgery to reach the final of the Wimbledon earlier this month. He, though, will be heavily tested by the German, who himself has found decent success recently, in a potentially blockbuster semifinal clash.

In June, earlier this year, Alcaraz defeated Zverev in the final of the French Open 2024, making a comeback after being 1-2 down. Meanwhile, Djokovic was at the receiving end of some exquisite strokeplay in the final of the Wimbledon 2024, against the same opponent for the second year running.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram