Paris Olympics 2024 Tennis Draw: Sumit Nagal to face France's Corentin Moutet in opening round

Sumit Nagal will play his second Olympic campaign.

The International Tennis Federation announced the much-anticipated tennis draws on July 25 for the 2024 Olympic Games. The draw announcement, initially scheduled for 2:30 PM (IST), was delayed due to last-minute withdrawals, including high-profile names such as current World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune and Andy Murray from the men’s singles.

India’s Sumit Nagal, ranked 80th, will take on Frenchman Corentin Moutet, in the first round. The contest promises to be intense, with the Frenchman having the advantage of the home crowd behind him.

The two players have met four times before, with a head-to-head record of 2-2. While playing a Frenchman on clay is never an easy task, Nagal will draw confidence from his victory over Moutet in their last encounter in the Challenger final in Helsinki last year. If the Indian gets the better of his French rival, he will then take on Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the second round.

The unseeded Rohan Bopanna/N Sriram Balaji pair will face home favourites Fabien Reboul/Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the initial round, a challenging task given their opponents’ strong clay court record. However, India will bank on the 44-year-old’s experience and Balaji’s dynamic play to out-do their French rivals.

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A potential second round clash with Germany’s third ranked duo – Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz (who won the recently-concluded German Open) is on the cards, presenting another tough hurdle. Meanwhile, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic will face Australia’s Matthew Ebden in the first round. This could potentially setup an epic second round clash with the “King of Clay,” Rafael Nadal.

While Djokovic aims to overcome Nadal, he will still have to navigate through formidable opponents like Arthur Fils, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alexander Zverev in subsequent matches. Should Djokovic reach the final, he is likely to face his nemesis, Carlos Alcaraz, in a battle for the gold.

2024 Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz will start his campaign against Hady Habib and his doubles partner Rafael Nadal will play Fucsovics before potentially taking on Djokovic. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek faces Irina-Camelia Begu in the opening round of the women’s singles, while World No. 2 Coco Gauff takes on Ajla Tomljanović.

Naomi Osaka, who lit the cauldron at the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony, takes on Angelique Kerber, who has officially announced the Paris Games as her last tennis event. Tennis at the 2024 Olympic Games is scheduled to start on July 27 and will run until August 4, taking place at the iconic Roland-Garros, Paris.

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