Rio Olympics singles preview and predictions

There is no Roger Federer, no Stan Wawrinka, no Milos Raonic, no Tomas Berdych, and no Dominic Thiem; and that’s just to name a few. Still, there will be plenty of tennis intrigue at the Rio Olympics. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is in Rio along with 2012 gold medalist Andy Murray. Rafael Nadal is also playing after leaving all of his fans on the edge of their seats until just about the last minute prior to the singles draw ceremony.

Rio Olympics

Where: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Surface: Hard
Top seed: Novak Djokovic
2012 champion: Andy Murray

Draw analysis: The draw is an especially intriguing one on the top half, where Djokovic is going up against Juan Martin Del Potro right off the bat. It is a rematch of the 2012 bronze-medal match in London, where Del Potro prevailed after losing a semifinal thriller to Federer. Nadal, who has not played since the second round of the French Open, is also on that side of the bracket and could meet Djokovic in the semifinals.
Djoker 1
Having missed the London Games after capturing gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nadal is clearly hungry for more hardware. To maximize his opportunities, the Spaniard is not only signed up for singles but will also partake in men’s doubles and mixed. He is kicking off his singles campaign against fellow lefty Federico Delbonis before possibly clashing with David Goffin in the quarters.

Murray will open with Viktor Troicki prior to potential early-round contests against Juan Monaco and Benoit Paire. Possible quarterfinal opponents for the second-seeded Scot are David Ferrer and Steve Johnson.

In the other bottom-half quarter, a red-hot Gael Monfils is on a collision course for the last eight with recent Toronto runner-up Kei Nishikori. Monfils first has to get past Vasek Pospisil, whom he recently clobbered in the Rogers Cup second round. The Frenchman’s favorable draw would then pit him against either Rogerio Dutra Silva or Thomas Fabbiano.

First-round upset alert: Borna Coric over (15) Gilles Simon. The Olympics could not be coming at a worse time for Simon, whose 2016 campaign has been a borderline disaster. The 31st-ranked Frenchman has been especially bad of late, with just a 2-4 record since the French Open. Coric picked up some recent momentum by winning the decisive Davis Cup rubber over Sock before reaching the third round in Washington, D.C. (lost to Monfils) and the Toronto second round (lost to Berdych).

Hot: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, David Goffin, Gael Monfils, Steve Johnson, Gilles Muller, Dustin Brown

Cold: Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Gilles Simon, Grigor Dimitrov, Vasek Pospisil, Sam Groth, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Jerzy Janowicz

Quarterfinal predictions: Novak Djokovic over Gilles Muller, David Goffin over Rafael Nadal, Gael Monfils over Kei Nishikori, and Andy Murray over Steve Johnson

Semifinals: Djokovic over Goffin and Murray over Monfils

Bronze-medal match: Goffin over Monfils

Gold-medal match: Djokovic over Murray

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27 Comments on Rio Olympics singles preview and predictions

  1. Considering the fact that Gael always plays well when he is playing for France I expect him to win at least the Bronze medal. He is unbeaten in 8 matches in DC (defeating likes of Federer) so I think he should carry that kind of form when he plays for his country in the Olympics.

  2. Rafa with his adorable smile and confidence along with some luck( that’s mandatory!) for the Gold! ❤️
    Vamos!
    It makes me happy to see Rafa this happy! Let’s go, Champ! Enjoy! ??

  3. QF:
    Tsonga over Djokovic
    Nadal over Goffin
    Nishikori over Monfils
    Murray over Johnson
    SF:
    Nadal over Tsonga
    Murray over Nishikori
    Bronze: Nishikori
    Silver: Murray
    Gold: Nadal
    VAMOSSSSS

  4. Coverage on BRAVO already really good. Courts in Rio look good and tv coverage on all courts! I like Joker to win it all, and beating Murray in the Final as Ricky predicted. Will be fun, and some great Mens Doubs!

    • Thanks for the heads up about Bravo broadcasting the Olympic tennis coverage! I didn’t know they were showing it.

      Now I know where to watch it!

  5. It’s going to be interesting with the absence of some of the top players.

    I think Rafa could get past Goffin. He will be dealing with rust from not having played for a while. But you never know what can happen.

    I guess the obvious pick is Novak and Murray for the gold. But I would love to see Monfils do well. Also the Americans.

  6. If Rafaś wrist holds up, he will win gold! However to tell the truth I would rather he did not play singles. I am really worried about his wrist. He injured it in Miami, then claimed it was ok, reinjured it in Madrid! This guy is taking a lot of unnecessary risks without reaping much reward.

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