Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, two more superstars, were vying for a spot in the doubles semifinals on Wednesday, while Novak Djokovic was comfortably on track to add a first Olympic gold medal to his already astounding collection of victories.
Djokovic, the first man to reach four Olympic singles quarterfinals, defeated German left-hander Dominik Koepfer 7-5, 6-3. Djokovic has won three of his 24 Grand Slam titles on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
The 37-year-old Serb’s last Olympic medal came in 2008 in Beijing, but he barely faced any opposition on Wednesday from his 70th-ranked rival, whose bid ultimately failed.
“To be honest, I’m drenched,” he remarked. As it was yesterday, the day is quite humid. All I can hope for is some rain to bring some relief from the heat and humidity.
Yet things are as they are. You have to try to make the most of the situation and sort of accept and embrace the circumstances, since they apply to both you and your opponents.”
After easily defeating longtime opponent Rafael Nadal in the second round, Djokovic will now take on 11th-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas, the Greek player he beat in the 2021 French Open final.
Later on Wednesday, Roman Safiullin, the 66th-ranked Russian competing in Paris as a neutral, will take on Alcaraz, the winner of the French Open and Wimbledon.
In 2023, Safiullin shocked Alcaraz by winning in straight sets at the Paris Masters.
The third-seeded German and reigning champion, Alexander Zverev, will take on Alexei Popyrin of Australia, while Daniil Medvedev, a fourth-seeded neutral, will take on Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada.
– Nadalcaraz
Nadal is in action for the fifth day in a row with partner Alcaraz, hoping to advance to the men’s doubles semifinals.
After winning the singles title in Beijing in 2008 and the doubles triumph in Rio eight years later, Rafael Nadal, a 14-time winner of the French Open singles on the clay courts of Paris, is vying for a third gold medal in the Olympics.
The fourth-seeded Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram present a difficult matchup for the Spaniards in the round of eight.
Ram and Krajicek have both had Grand Slam success; Ram has four major doubles titles, while Krajicek won the Roland Garros title in 2023.
Four-time French Open winner Iga Swiatek may win at Roland Garros for the 25th time in a row if she makes it to the Olympic semifinals for the first time.
Danielle Collins of the United States will be facing the unbeaten world number one from Poland.
Tuesday’s elimination of Coco Gauff, the US Open winner and world number two, paved the way for Swiatek to win his maiden gold medal.
Angelique Kerber, a three-time major winner who will retire after her Olympic career is over, will face Zheng Qinwen, the seventh-ranked Chinese player in the world.
Emma Navarro, who Zheng defeated in a difficult three hours, called her a “cut-throat” and “no respect” when Zheng advanced to the quarterfinals.
Barbora Krejcikova, the winner of Wimbledon, will take on Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, who upset Jasmine Paolini, the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon, in the third round.
Donna Vekic of Croatia, who advanced to the Wimbledon semifinal, will take against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the final women’s quarterfinal.
on Wednesday as fellow superstars Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz aimed for a place in the doubles semi-finals.
Djokovic, who has won three of his 24 Grand Slam titles on the clay courts of Roland Garros, defeated German left-hander Dominik Koepfer 7-5, 6-3 to become the first man to reach four Olympic singles quarter-finals.
The 37-year-old Serb has only ever collected a bronze at the Olympics, back in 2008 at Beijing, but he was rarely troubled on Wednesday by his 70th-ranked opponent, whose challenge eventually fizzled out.
“I’m soaking wet, honestly,” he said. “It’s a very, very humid day as it was yesterday. I just hope it rains so it cools down the temperature a bit and the air.
“But it is what it is. You have to kind of accept and embrace the conditions and it’s the same for you and your opponents so you have to try to make the best out of it.”
Djokovic, who had breezed past old rival Rafael Nadal in the second round, goes on to face 11th-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas, the Greek he defeated in the 2021 French Open final.
Later Wednesday, French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz tackles Roman Safiullin, the 66th-ranked Russian playing in Paris as a neutral.
Safiullin stunned Alcaraz at the Paris Masters in straight sets in 2023.
Defending champion Alexander Zverev, the third-seeded German, faces Australia’s Alexei Popyrin while fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, also competing as a neutral, faces Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Nadalcaraz
Nadal plays for the fifth successive day as he and partner Alcaraz eye a place in the men’s doubles semi-finals.
Nadal, a 14-time French Open singles champion on the clay courts of Paris, is chasing a third Olympics gold medal after pocketing the singles title in Beijing in 2008 and doubles in Rio eight years later.
The Spaniards face a tricky last-eight tie against fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram of the United States.
Both have enjoyed Grand Slam success, with Ram winning four doubles titles at the majors and Krajicek lifting the Roland Garros title in 2023.
Iga Swiatek, the four-time French Open champion, can claim a 25th successive win at Roland Garros by making the semi-finals of the Olympics for the first time.
The world number one from Poland has not dropped a set so far and takes on Danielle Collins of the United States.
Swiatek’s path to a first gold medal was eased on Tuesday when world number two and US Open champion Coco Gauff was eliminated.
Three-time major winner Angelique Kerber, who will retire once her Olympics involvement ends, comes up against Zheng Qinwen, the Chinese world number seven.
Zheng made the quarter-finals in a tense three-hour win over Emma Navarro on Tuesday, after which the vanquished American accused her of being a “cut-throat” with “no respect”.
Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova faces Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, who stunned French Open and Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini in the third round.
In the remaining women’s quarter-final Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk faces Wimbledon semi-finalist Donna Vekic of Croatia.