Novak Djokovic is making a return to the surface where he got the famous meniscus tear injury he had entered the Wimbledon Championships with. However, the Serbian would be hoping he fares better on the Roland Garros surface this time around.
This is the fifth time Novak Djokovic has taken part in an Olympic tournament. His best performance was in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing where he won the Bronze medal. Novak Djokovic lost to Rafael Nadal, the eventual gold winner in the semifinal. Since then, the Serbian hasn’t gone beyond the fourth round. How will fare in Paris this time around?
Novak Djokovic Wins 1st Set Flawlessly
Novak Djokovic has started his campaign for a gold medal to retire with by defeating Matthew Ebden 6-0, 6-1 in the first round. 36-year-old Matthew Ebden’s first singles match of 2024 happened to be against world No. 2, Novak Djokovic, in the Olympics. The Australian started the match by winning a well-worked point where he pulled Djokovic to the net with a drop shot and hammered a winner past the Serbian.
However, that was all the Australian managed. Quickly, the world No. 2 raced to two break points on his serve, eventually breaking his serve when the Australian hit an overhead shot into the net.
The top seed was shaky in the second game of the set, coming from 0-30 down to lead 40-30, and still throwing away the game point on a wayward shot. He eventually held his serve to lead 2-0. Ebden then tried changing the game up on Djokovic on his serve, trying a variety of shot selections, but the Serbian came out on top to lead 3-0.
Novak Djokovic then held his serve relatively easily at love in the fourth game of the set. In the fifth game, the Serbian opened two break points on the Australian’s serve. Ebden tried a drop shot to save the second break point but failed when it landed on his side of the court after hitting the net. Djokovic went on to hold his serve and win the set.
Ebden Wins The Crowd But Loses The Match
Matthew Ebden started the second set poorly, dropping his first two points on a shaky forehand and a poorly executed drop shot that hit the net. He then gifted Novak Djokovic the break of his serve after his underhand serve got swatted away on the second attempt by the Serbian.
By the third game of the set, Matthew Ebden left trying to win the match and began trying to win the crowd. Two stylish points, one of which was a deft touch at the net, left the crowd cheering for the Australian. However, Novak Djokovic was in no mood for gifts and quickly closed the Australian’s 30-0 lead.
With Djokovic on a break point, Ebden played his best point of the match, knocking the big Serbian all over the court before swatting away a forehand winner across the court to the applause of the crowd. Following that, he hit his first ace of the match to pull up an advantage point.
Djokovic then cleaned off the Australian opportunity to get himself on the board with a crosscourt forehand winner. This was the best game the Australian had played all through the match, but a forehand winner from Djokovic and a double fault gave the Serbian the break of his serve.
Novak Djokovic then consolidated his lead 4-0 with an easy hold of serve. Matthew Ebden then played an even better game than he had played two games prior. The Australian held his serve at love to get himself on the board for the first time in the match.
Djokovic held his serve to lead 5-1. Ebden tried again to get a second game on the board, winning his first two points on serve in the seventh game. However, Djokovic clawed back and opened a breakpoint and match point lead with a deft touch at the net. A solid backhand return of Ebden’s serve in the net ended the match in 52 minutes.
Singles and doubles gold medalist and legend of the sport, Rafael Nadal, will take on Marton Fucsovics in the first round tomorrow. If the Spaniard happens to be victorious, he’d face Novak Djokovic in a mouthwatering much-anticipated second-round clash.
Today, the doubles partnership of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz is in contention with Maximo Gonzalez and Andrés Molteni of Argentina in the doubles first round.
For More Great Content
Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
