The 37-year-old Serbian entered the Olympics as the world’s second-ranked player. This season has not been particularly favorable for Djokovic. He lost in the semifinals of his favorite Australian Open to Jannik Sinner, exited Roland Garros in the quarterfinals due to injury, and was defeated in the Wimbledon final. So far in 2024, Djokovic has yet to win a trophy.
The draw for the Olympics was quite favorable for Djokovic. However, he had to play a grand match against Rafael Nadal in the second round, which he won convincingly in straight sets. Djokovic then defeated Germany’s Dominik Koepfer, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, and comfortably beat Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals.
Alcaraz is the world’s third-ranked player. This season has been fantastic for him. After losing to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Alcaraz went on to win two consecutive Grand Slam tournaments – Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He also triumphed at the Indian Wells Masters. Now, the young Spaniard has reached another final.
In the semifinals, Alcaraz surprisingly easily defeated Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, winning both sets 6-1. Before that, he ousted Tommy Paul of the USA, Roman Safiullin, Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, and Lebanon’s Hady Habib. Like Djokovic, Alcaraz has not lost a set at the Olympics so far.
