Olympics QF previews and predictions: Djokovic vs. Tsitsipas, Zverev vs. Musetti

A blockbuster quarterfinal lineup at the Olympics features a showdown between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas on Thursday. Alexander Zverev and Lorenzo Musetti are also aiming for a place in the last four.

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (8) Stefanos Tsitsipas

Djokovic and Tsitsipas will be squaring off for the 14th time in their careers when they clash in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics on Thursday night. The head-to-head series stands at 11-2 in Djokovic’s favor, but both of their previous Roland Garros encounters have been competitive. Djokovic got the job done in five sets during semifinal competition in 2020 before triumphing in a five-set championship match one year later.

Clay is by far Tsitsipas’ favorite surface and those French Open results speak for themselves. Although the 11th-ranked Greek has not been at his best for much of 2024, he captured a clay-court Masters 1000 title this spring in Monte-Carlo. So far this week he has dismissed Zizou Bergs, Dan Evans, and Sebastian Baez. Djokovic scored a notable victory over Rafael Nadal in round two, but–similar to his run to the Wimbledon final–he has not really been tested. That will likely change against Tsitsipas. The underdog loves clay and has a real chance to win this one against an opponent who has not yet captured a title this season and has never won Olympic gold.

Pick: Tsitsipas in 3

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(3) Alexander Zverev vs. (11) Lorenzo Musetti

Musetti is perhaps the hottest player on tour outside of Carlos Alcaraz right now. The 16th-ranked Italian finished runner-up at Queen’s Club, reached the Wimbledon semifinals, and advanced to the Umag title match this past weekend. Despite having zero rest prior to the Olympics, Musetti has remained red hot at the expense of Gael Monfils, Mariano Navone, and Taylor Fritz.

Up next for the 11th seed is a second meeting with Zverev, who prevailed via second-set retirement at the 2022 Madrid Masters. Also in fine form at the moment, the fourth-ranked German was runner-up at Roland Garros and now finds himself in the last eight at the same venue following defeats of Jaume Munar, Tomas Machac, and Alexei Popyrin. This has all the makings of a three-set thriller, in which case a more rested Zverev would probably have the physical edge.

Pick: Zverev in 3

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