Novak Djokovic voiced his dissatisfaction with Olympic entry regulations following a clear-cut win against Matthew Ebden in the preliminary rounds of a rain-affected Roland Garros. The current world number one, with his eyes on an inaugural Olympic golden win, effortlessly ousted the Aussie substitute 6-0 6-1 within 53 minutes. Under the competition’s stipulations, any player retracting from singles past July 19th, including well-known names like Andy Murray and Jannik Sinner in recent days, can only be succeeded by players already participating in another event.
This rule led to Ebden, one of the top doubles players globally, competing in a singles match for the first time in the last two years against Djokovic on Court Philippe Chatrier. Ebden exhibited sportsmanship throughout, even humorously proposing to offer his racket to audience members and theatrically covering his face with his shirt following his first successful game after eleven failed attempts.
Djokovic expressed his bewilderment at these regulations, stating, “I genuinely can’t fathom these rules; they don’t seem logical to me. I believe it’s not casting a good light on our sport, to be perfectly honest. There were numerous singles players with ample time on their hands, substitutes, who could have been summoned. My sincere hope is that the ITF [International Tennis Federation] in unison with the Olympics will contemplate amending this rule.”
The justification for this regulation, according to event organizers, is logistical. The International Olympic Committee does not favour the last-minute inclusion of new athletes nearing the Games and emphasised that tennis allows later personnel changes compared to many other sports. A potential powerhouse second-round face-off with Rafael Nadal awaits Djokovic, provided the Spanish player successfully deals with Marton Fucsovics and a pesky right thigh injury.
In related news, Carlos Alcaraz faced a stand-in competitor in Lebanon’s Hady Habib, who commendably held his own despite a 6-3 6-1 defeat against the French Open and Wimbledon winner.
The inclement weather in Paris didn’t impact the games on the covered courts, while players on the external courts experienced significant delays. The Women’s world top-ranked player, Iga Swiatek, played her first-round match on the sheltered courts against Irina-Camelia Begu from Romania.
Swiatek, the four-time French Open victor, has only suffered one defeat in her last 30 clay court battles and is the favoured contender to win an Olympic gold, further adding to her collection of four French Open titles next weekend. However, during her first-round match, she narrowly escaped a decisive set from Begu, ranked at 136, before she finally took a 6-2 7-5 win.
Reflecting on the match, the Polish player noted her relief at getting through the initial round, which she recognized as always having a touch of difficulty, particularly in an Olympic match. She confessed to being slightly more anxious than usual, citing a nuanced atmosphere at the games. Nevertheless, Swiatek looks forward to refining her game, hoping to attain a more stable performance in the second round.
In other news, Jasmine Paolini moves to the next round after a 7-5 6-3 triumph over Ana Bogdan. Poalini, seeking a third consecutive major final after succumbing to Swiatek at the French Open and to Barbora Krejcikova at Wimbledon, progresses with hope.