Paris 2024: Alcaraz, Djokovic, Swiatek and Tennis Gold Medal Contenders

Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are some of the biggest tennis stars playing at the Paris 2024 Olympics, while Iga Swiatek is the woman to beat. 

The Paris 2024 Olympics fever is in full flow, and tennis is not left out. Although the opening ceremony is two days away, the competition has already started with football and rugby sevens kicking off things. 

After the opening ceremony on Friday night, more sports will join the party, with tennis being one of the sports to look forward to. 

History of Tennis at the Summer Olympics

Tennis is one of the most popular sports at the Olympics. The sport was part of the inaugural Olympics in 1896 and stayed that way until the 1924 Olympics. 

The Sport did make a return at the 1968 and 1984 Olympics, but only U-21 players were allowed to participate. 

However, the ban was lifted at the 1988 Olympics, with tennis becoming a full medal sport since then. 

Since the age restriction was lifted, notable players have prioritised Olympic tennis ahead of some other major tennis events. 

Steffi Graff was one of those players, winning the Golden Slam in 1988. The former German tennis star won all the women’s singles titles in Grand Slams that year and also a gold medal in the singles event of the women’s competition at the Seoul Olympics. 

Tennis Surface at the Olympics 

Because tennis has three major surfaces on which the game is played- Hard Court, Grass and Clay, the playing surface at the Olympics depends on the city hosting it. 

The surface has always been on hard courts most times, but there have been cases where it was played on grass and clay. 

For example, London 2012 was played on grass just after Wimbledon had finished. Paris 2024 will be on clay because the venue of the event is Roland Garros, which is a grand slam played on clay normally. 

When will Tennis start at the Paris Olympics? 

Tennis at the Paris Olympics will start on July 28, two days after the opening ceremony and will run until August 4. 

Notable Tennis Players at the Paris Olympics 

Almost all the top tennis stars are in Paris, although a few players decided not to participate while there are some who pulled out due to injury, including World No.1 Jannik Sinner. 

Still, the competition will see top men’s and women’s stars take to court. Some of the iconic tennis stars in Paris include Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jasmine Paolini and other top stars. 

Who are the contenders at the Paris Olympics? 

Novak Djokovic

Statistically, Novak Djokovic is the greatest tennis player of all time. The Serbian has the most grand slam titles (24), most Masters titles (40) and most weeks as World No. 1 (428). 

But despite his impressive record, one title is still missing for Djokovic and that is the Olympic Gold Medal. 

Since winning bronze at his first Olympic Games in 2008, Djokovic has not won another medal at subsequent Olympic Games. 

This remains a mystery for a player dubbed as the GOAT. It is no secret that Djokovic wants to win an Olympic Gold, but it has eluded him so far. 

The Serbian arrives in Paris with question marks over his form. Although he reached the final of Wimbledon, losing to Alcaraz in straight sets, Djokovic has had a disappointing year so far by his standards. 

His only final this year was at the All-England club, which is really poor by his standards. But despite his poor season so far, it would be foolish to write off Djokovic. 

He remains one of the favourites, and he is ready for the battle after deciding to focus only on the singles. Djokovic is the second favourite to win gold in the men’s singles, priced at 3.60 at Housebets. 

However, at the age of 37, Paris 2024 may be the last chance for Djokovic to win the only medal missing from his collection. 

Carlos Alcaraz 

Carlos Alcaraz enters the competition as the clear favourite, having won the last two big events in men’s tennis. 

The four-time grand slam champion is priced at 1.83 to win gold in the Men’s Single. This is Alcaraz’s first Olympics, but he is full of confidence. The Spaniard recently won the Wimbledon title, beating Djokovic in straight sets. 

Not only that, Alcaraz also won the French Open two months ago at the same venue where tennis would be played at the Olympics. 

With Sinner out, Alcaraz is definitely the man to beat. With his confidence on a high, it would take a magnificent effort to stop Alcaraz from winning gold in his first Olympics. 

Rafael Nadal 

In fairness, it would have been foolish to include a player who has not played much and has no title this year on the list of gold medal contenders. 

However, given this year’s tennis is at Roland Garros, it is only right to include a player who has won 14 grand slams at the venue.

Nadal arrives at his final Olympics with no expectations, but considering the tennis event is on clay, it would be foolish to write off a man dubbed the “king of clay.” 

The Spaniard won 14 of his 22 grand slam titles at Roland Garros and will feel confident in his chances of having one last crack at the venue. 

Nadal arrives in Paris in brilliant form, having reached the final in Bastad, losing to Nuno Borges in the showpiece match. 

This is remarkable for a player who is in his swansong year and building his fitness level, having missed a year of playing. 

Nonetheless, it will be a miracle if Nadal wins gold in Paris with the likes of Djokovic and Alcaraz in the competition. 

Can anyone stop Swiatek? 

While the men’s draw is competitive, there is only one player to beat in the Women’s draw and that is Iga Swiatek. 

The World No. 1 is the current French Open Champion, having won the competition four times. With the tennis event taking place at the same venue where she won four Roland Garros titles, it is hard to look past Swiatek winning gold. 

The Pole is the overwhelming favourite to win gold and the odds confirm it. Swiatek is priced at 1.52 to win gold at Housebets. 

The closest challenger is Coco Gauff, who is backed at 6.22 at Housebets to win gold in her first Olympics. 

Can I Bet on the Paris 2024 Olympics Tennis at Housebets? 

Yes, you can bet on the Paris 2024 Olympics tennis event at Housebets. You bet on both the singles and doubles events, while you can also bet on the Outrights option. 

How do I bet on the Paris 2024 Olympics at Housebets? 

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