Sumit Nagal, India’s lone player in the men’s singles at the Paris Olympics, has been handed a horrid draw. Ranked 80th in the world, no one had Nagal as one of the favorites for a medal. But, after seeing his draw, you’d label it a miracle if the Indian ace somehow earned himself a place at the podium.
Nightmare draw for Sumit Nagal
Facing home favourite Corentin Moutet in the first round will be extremely tough. On the ATP Tour, they have faced each other just once. That match happened on clay in April, and he beat the Frenchman in three sets. Knowing that he’s earned a win over Moutet just months ago would help Nagal get some confidence. However, it won’t be easy to battle not only Moutet but also the French crowd at Roland Garros.
The bigger issue for Nagal is the opponents he’ll potentially face if he manages to get past Moutet. In each of the next rounds, he’ll face a top seed. The 26-year-old will face Alex de Minaur and Tommy Paul even before he reaches the quarterfinals, and from there on, he’ll have to get past Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Novak Djokovic to win it all.
Sumit Nagal’s probable road to Paris Olympics gold medal
- Round 1: Corentin Moutet
- Round 2: Alex De Minaur (5)
- Round 3: Tommy Paul (9)
- Quarterfinal: Carlos Alcaraz (2)
- Semifinal: Daniil Medvedev (3)
- Final: Novak Djokovic (1)
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Bopanna battles with form
Rohan Bopanna started the year as best as he could. But following the end of the hard court swing, he’s not had the best of results. He has a 4-5 record on clay in 2024. However, the only semifinal he made came at the French Open, the venue for the Paris Olympics. Of course, Paris holds a special place in his heart. 7 years ago, he won his first Grand Slam in the French capital and fulfilled his lifelong dream.
He has the opportunity to now write his name in gold in Indian Olympic history. But it won’t be easy. He’s ranked 4th in the world, but his partner, N Sriram Balaji, is 65th. Their first-round opponents are French and would have the backing of the entire crowd. But they’re expected to go past them. It’s the next four matches that are trouble. He’ll have to go past the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th seeds to win the gold medal. One thing is sure: if they do that, it’ll go down as one of the greatest runs in Olympic history.
Rohan Bopanna-N Sriram Balaji probable road to Paris Olympics gold medal
- Round 1: Fabien Reboul and Édouard Roger-Vasselin
- Round 2: Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz (2)
- Quarterfinal: Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski (5)
- Semifinal: Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek (4)
- Final: Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori (1)
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