Olympic men’s tennis 2024 preview: Biggest names and storylines in Paris draw

As the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics fast approaches, the men’s singles is packed with big storylines to watch. Will top young players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner be able to repeat their dominance at recent Grand Slam events? Or will a player like 37-year-old Novak Djokovic finally be able to add a gold medal to his resume? Will Rafael Nadal be able to pull off one more spell before retiring?

With the Olympics coming to Paris, it’s only natural that the tennis will be played on the clay courts of Roland Garros, home of the French Open, which means that nearly all eyes will be on Nadal, who has a unique connection to the venue. Nadal is 112-4 all-time and missed what was likely his final Wimbledon appearance this past month to train for the Olympics.

Neither Djokovic nor Nadal have said this will be their last tournament, but it is almost certain that this will be their last Olympics. The same goes for players like 37-year-old Andy Murray and 39-year-old Stan Wawrinka, all of whom have had success on the clay court. But despite these big names, younger players like Alcaraz and Sinner will have the advantage. And for good reason.

The Olympic tennis format is very similar to a Grand Slam, with men’s and women’s singles and doubles tournaments played in a 64-player draw and single-elimination format. We look at some of the individual players below, but will provide further analysis once the draw and first match schedule is released on July 25th.

AlcarazThere is no player more spectacular or exciting than Carlos Alcaraz right now. With two Grand Slam titles under his belt, including the French Open in 2024 on the same clay court, he is the No. 1 target for the remaining tournaments. On his way to winning the French Open, he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, then beat both Sinner and Alexander Zverev in five sets. Alcaraz then won a Channel Slam, which is when a player wins Wimbledon just two weeks after winning the French Open. With his Wimbledon victory, Alcaraz became just the second player in the Open Era to win all four of the first major finals, and is now 0-2 against his biggest rival, world number one Sinner.

sinnerDespite losing to Alcaraz in the French Open final and to fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon, Sinner earned enough points to be ranked number one in the world. The 22-year-old Italian is slightly behind Alcaraz in Grand Slam titles, but outside of a head-to-head matchup, Sinner will still be considered the favorite heading into Paris. Sinner started this season by winning his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and reached the semifinals at Roland Garros. Shortly after assuming the world number one ranking, he won the Halle Open earlier this year. He was battling illness during his five-set loss to Medvedev, but should be rested heading into the French Open.

DjokovicThe Serbian has won more Grand Slam singles titles than anyone else, but he is yet to win a major title in 2024. He has been suffering from a torn meniscus, but he played through the pain at the French Open to win the match, but eventually withdrew before the quarterfinal against Kasper Ruud. It has been a very frustrating season for him, and most importantly, he has not won a single gold medal. Still, it will be very difficult to beat some of the younger players, let alone Nadal and co.

Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Rafael Nadal: As mentioned above, Nadal missed Wimbledon to compete in this year’s Olympics. Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam titles, 14 of which have come at Roland Garros, and earlier this year he said the tournament was important to him. Nadal already has two gold medals there: one in singles at Beijing in 2008 and one in doubles with Marc Lopez at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. But it’s been almost a year since his hip surgery and he’ll need some luck and some of that old Nadal magic to make it through.

What about Americans?

The U.S. men have not won a major title in recent years, but 26-year-old Taylor Fritz is making his Olympic debut and is the favorite to win a medal, along with Tommy Paul, Chris Eubanks and Marcos Giron, all of whom are considered unlikely contenders.

Fritz has had success in many tournaments but has never made it past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. He won the Indian Wells Open in 2022 and reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2024. He may not be 100% in Paris after suffering an injury during the French Open, hiding it and carrying it into the grass-court season.

Besides the players mentioned above and Fritz, of course there are other players on the field.

How to watch tennis at the 2024 Olympics

Olympic tennis will be broadcast on television primarily on CNBC, USA Network and E!, and streamed on Peacock. NBCOlympics.com, NBC.comThere are several good options to watch all the action, including the NBC app and the NBC Olympics app. Matches will begin on Saturday, July 27, with the men’s singles tournament scheduled to conclude on August 4. Telecasts usually begin at 6 a.m. ET and continue through the afternoon.