Tennis News

Djokovic continues chase for first gold medal at Paris Olympics

Novak Djokovic continued his pursuit of a first Olympic gold medal on Wednesday at the Paris Olympics, where he moved past Germany’s Dominik Koepfer 7-5, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.

The Serbian defeated rival Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the second round and backed up his 31st win against the Spaniard with a dialled-in performance against Koepfer, advancing after one hour and 37 minutes.

The No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, who has won a record 24 major titles and 40 ATP Masters 1000 crowns, is making his fifth Olympics appearance. Djokovic’s best result came in Beijing in 2008 when he won a bronze medal. The Serbian, who is eager to add an Olympic gold to his trophy cabinet, revealed he is loving his time in Paris.

“It is a great honour to represent my country at the Olympics. It is an incredible sporting event,” Djokovic said. “We play Roland Garros every year in this stadium but the crowd, the atmosphere, the colours, everything is different. In a good way. The Roland Garros crowd is very knowledgeable and passionate about tennis but the Olympic crowd is something different.

“People from all over the world come to support their athletes and I think there are so many different nations and nationalities and it is beautiful to see. We are all celebrating sport and I am glad to still stay in the tournament.”

Hunting for the 🥇@DjokerNole records a 7-5 6-3 victory over Koepfer to reach the quarter-finals!@Olympics | #Paris2024 | #Tennis pic.twitter.com/gtFztGqoTj

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 31, 2024

In hot Parisian conditions, Djokovic recovered from squandering a break advantage in the first set, grinding down the German in gruelling baseline rallies in the closing stages of the set to lead. The 37-year-old then won 95 per cent (19/20) of his first-serve points in the second set to reach the last eight in Paris.

Djokovic let out a roar after sealing victory on his first match point with a punched volley. He raised his arms to the sky to take in the embrace of the Serbian fans inside Court Philippe Chatrier, where a number of Serbian flags were spread around the stadium.

“I am soaking wet. It is a very humid day, as it was yesterday. I just hope it rains so it cools down the temperature a bit, the air,” Djokovic said. “It is the same for me and my opponent so you have to make the best out of it.”

Djokovic will next play eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas after the Greek downed Argentine Sebastian Baez 7-5, 6-1. Djokovic takes a 11-2 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead into his meeting with Tsitsipas, having won their past 10 meetings.

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Purcell/Thompson begin hunt for 4th title of season in Washington

Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson have won a hat-trick of trophies on North American soil this year.

The Australians made a convincing start to another title quest Tuesday at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, where they raced past Diego Hidalgo and John-Patrick Smith 6-2, 6-3 in just 60 minutes.

Seeded second, Purcell and Thompson triumphed in Dallas, Los Cabos and Houston this season. They reached the Wimbledon final, falling to Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, the top seeds in Washington.  

Thompson also won the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid alongside Sebastian Korda, whom the Aussies could meet next. Korda and Alex Michelsen face seventh seeds Julian Cash and Robert Galloway.

In other Tuesday doubles action, Karen Khachanov and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard advanced in straight sets, downing third seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus 6-4, 6-4. Eighth seeds Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo defeated Nicolas Barrientos and Ariel Behar 7-6(7), 6-3;

Did You Know?
ATP is trialing player-worn microphones during Washington doubles matches. This innovation, part of the 2024 ATP Doubles Trial, aims to enhance the fan and broadcast experience, while also amplifying the profiles of the players. This will take place across select doubles matches throughout the week.

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Tiafoe's Washington opener resumes after rain interruption

Hometown hero Frances Tiafoe and Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan have resumed their second-round match Tuesday at the Mubadala Citi DC Open after an early rain interruption.

The fifth seed led Galan 4-3, with the Colombian to serve at 15/40 when play was suspended. Competing in their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, Tiafoe and Galan left the court for roughly 40 minutes.

Four Americans won earlier in the day at the ATP 500, led by fourth seed Sebastian Korda and 13th seed Brandon Nakashima. Aleksandar Kovacevic and Mitchell Krueger also advanced.

#NextGenATP Shang Juncheng and Luca Van Assche earned wins. The Chinese lefty defeated Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-3 while Van Assche beat Arthur Cazaux 6-4, 6-3.

Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis rallied past countryman Max Purcell 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3 and Miomir Kecmanovic defeated J.J. Wolf 6-2, 6-3.

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'Stop the countdown!' – Murray's career extended after tie-break thriller

Watch highlights from Andy Murray and Dan Evans’ thrilling tie-break comeback against Belgium to reach the men’s doubles quarter-finals on day four of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

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'We deserved to win' – Murray praises winning doubles performance

Watch reaction from Great Britain’s Andy Murray and Dan Evans after they reach the men’s doubles quarter-finals with another dramatic victory on day four of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

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Murray & Evans win 'nerve-wracking' tie-break to reach quarters

Watch the winning moment from Andy Murray and Dan Evans’ “nerve-wracking” second-round match against Belgium on day four of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

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Evans & Murray save 2 more match points, keep dream Olympics run alive

Daniel Evans and Andy Murray earned another dramatic Paris Olympics victory Tuesday to extend the Scot’s career an additional day.

Two days after saving five consecutive match points in the opening round, Great Britain’s Evans and Murray fended off two match points to defeat Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 6-3, 6-7(8), 11-9.

🇬🇧 THEY’VE DONE IT AGAIN 🗣

The British duo @andy_murray and Dan Evans get a 6-3 6-7 11-9 victory over Gille/Vliegen to advance to the #Paris2024 quarter-finals! #Olympics | #tennis pic.twitter.com/s5TQMjeYYQ

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 30, 2024

The fans’ favourites tallied four consecutive points from 7/9 in the Match Tie-break, leaping for joy after closing the two-hour, five-minute thriller, during which Evans and Murray had two match points in the second-set tie-break.

They will next look to continue their dream run in a quarter-final match against third-seeded Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul or Dutchmen Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer.

Murray, a 46-time tour-level titlist who ascended to World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, withdrew from singles, meaning the Paris Olympics doubles event will mark the 37-year-old’s final outing of his storied career.

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Retiring Murray goes on after another epic Olympic win

Andy Murray extends his retirement roadshow at Paris 2024 with another epic win alongside Dan Evans to move into Olympic men’s doubles quarter-finals.

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'Wonderfully entertaining' Nadal & Alcaraz reach quarters

Watch the best shots from Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal’s “wonderfully entertaining” straight-set win over the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof at the Paris Olympics.

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Alcaraz/Nadal light up Paris Olympics, reach QFs

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal are still alive at the Paris Olympics! The Spaniards fought hard and produced trademark moments of magic on Tuesday to earn a thrilling 6-4, 6-7(2), 10-2 win against Dutchmen Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof and reach the quarter-finals.

Nadal was in relaxed mood ahead of the clash, with the 38-year-old cuddling his son in the warmup area before the match. The 92-time tour-level titlist then took to court alongside a pumped-up Alcaraz, with the pair receiving raucous cheers from all corners of the stadium.

Dressed in Spanish red shirts and white shorts, Alcaraz and Nadal applied early pressure and gained the decisive break of a high-quality first set when Alcaraz blasted a bullet forehand crosscourt to break Koolhof’s serve. Both let out a roar, bounced to their chairs and took in the support from the crowd, with Spanish flags spread around Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Alcaraz and Nadal fist-pumped their way through the match, while the crowd regularly leapt to their feet to cheer Nadal’s banana-curling forehand winners and Alcaraz’s lightning-fast hands at the net. In hot Parisian conditions, the Spaniards caught fire in the Match Tie-break. Under pressure, Nadal lifted his level and imposed himself on Griekspoor and Koolhof, striking with intensity on return and finding acute angles to help drive him and Alcaraz to victory.

Nadal is a two-time gold medalist (2008 Beijing singles, 2016 Rio doubles w/ Marc Lopez) and played the role of mentor throughout the clash in Paris. He offered frequent words of encouragement to the 21-year-old Alcaraz, who improved throughout and showed why he is a four-time major champion with a number of explosive winners off the forehand wing and effective moves to the net.

After they sealed victory in two hours and 24 minutes, fans chanted ‘Rafa!” and Spanish captain David Ferrer raised his arms to the sky in delight. Nadal’s sole focus is on the doubles after he lost in the singles to Novak Djokovic on Monday and he let out a roar and a beaming smile after clinching the win with Alcaraz. Alcaraz, who defeated Griekspoor in the singles on Monday, is making his Olympic debut and was ecstatic after the pair earned its second win of the week.

Alcaraz and Nadal, who saved all three break points they faced, embraced after the win and then signed balls for the fans courtside.

The Spaniards will next play Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram in the quarter-finals. The fourth seeds beat Brazilians Thiago Monteiro and Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-4, 7-6(3).

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