PARIS (AP) — Top-seeded Novak Djokovic could meet his longtime rival Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Paris Olympic tennis tournament.
Djokovic was drawn Thursday against Australian Matthew Ebden and Nadal faces Hungaraian Marton Fucsovics, with the winners of those matches meeting in Round 2.
The 38-year-old Nadal won a record 14 of his 22 major trophies at the French Open. He won gold in singles at Beijing in 2008, and in doubles with Marc López at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
“Roland Garros as everybody knows is the most special place in tennis for me. I am enjoying the fact I am back for the Olympics,” Nadal said on stage after the draw. “I am just trying to enjoy every single moment.”
French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz takes on Lebanese player Hady Habib.
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek of Poland faces Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania in the first round of the women’s draw with second-seeded American Coco Gauff taking on Australian Ajla Tomljanović.
Gauff is the reigning U.S. Open champion and is making her Olympic debut. She is a flag bearer for the U.S. team at Friday’s opening ceremony along with basketball star LeBron James. She will be the first tennis athlete to carry the U.S. flag.
Djokovic and Swiatek have not won Olympic gold.
Djokovic owns 24 Grand Slam trophies, more than anyone else in tennis apart from Margaret Court, but his only Olympic medal was bronze at Beijing in 2008.
Swiatek has won the French Open four of the past five years on the same clay courts at Roland Garros.
Four-time major winner Naomi Osaka of Japan takes on three-time major champion Angelique Kerber of Germany.
Men’s and women’s first-round play begins Saturday, and the top-ranked man won’t be playing. Jannik Sinner pulled out on Wednesday because of tonsillitis. The 22-year-old from Italy posted on X that he took medical advice to sit out the Summer Games.
Tokyo Games champion Alexander Zverev of Germany plays Australian Alex de Minaur.
Two-time Olympic champion Andy Murray has withdrawn from singles but will play in men’s doubles alongside Dan Evans in his adieu from tennis.
The 37-year-old Murray, a three-time Slam champion, won gold in singles at London in 2012 and Rio four years later. Since having hip replacement surgery in 2019, he has struggled with various injuries and withdrew from singles at Wimbledon because he needed a procedure to remove a cyst from his spine.
“The Olympics has been incredibly special to me. I’m really happy I get to do this one more time,” Murray said on stage. “I just ran out of time really (to play singles), but happy to be in the doubles with Dan and we play well together.”
In women’s doubles, top-seeded American pair Gauff and Jessica Pegula drew Australian pair Daria Saville and Ellen Perez.
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