PARIS — It’s entirely possible that Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, two of the greatest players in history, will meet in the second round of the men’s tennis tournament at the Summer Olympic Games.
And that could well be the final singles match of the legendary Nadal’s illustrious career.
The great Spaniard chose to come to the clay courts of Roland Garros, where he has won 14 French Opens, to celebrate the end of his magnificent career and possibly play for the last time.
And in the blind draw, with Nadal unseeded, didn’t do he or tennis fans any favours with the likelihood of having to face off against multiple Grand Slam champion Djokovic — if both win their opening matches when tennis debuts Saturday at the Olympics.
Nadal is scheduled to play doubles here as well and that could be something tennis fans will be enamoured with as he is teaming up with countryman Carlos Alcaraz — the future of and the past playing together one last time.
These storylines, among many, have Olympic tennis garnering an attention it has never before known.
Not only is it likely Nadal will play Djokovic in Round 2, but for Djokovic to succeed here, he’ll have to get past Alcaraz, who defeated him earlier this month in the Wimbledon final.
Also in the men’s draw is perennial contender Daniil Medvedev, the Russian who competes as INA here — listed as a Individual Neutral Athlete.
British great Andy Murray had intended to play his last singles tennis at the Games, but he officially withdrew on Thursday from singles play.
The Canadian men, popular as they may be, aren’t considered contenders of any kind here. Felix Auger-Aliassime opens up American Marcos Giron while veteran Milos Raonic, with a game not exactly built for tennis on clay, plays Dominik Koepfer to begin the tournament.
Auger-Alliasime and Raonic will team up in doubles, but they have their hands full in the first round facing the highly seeded American team of Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.
On the women’s side, which isn’t nearly as deep as the men’s tourney, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek is the top seed followed by American Coco Gauff.
Leylah Annie Fernandez of Montreal is the 16th seed and opens up against Karolina Michova of the Czech Republic. Former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu, still looking to find her high-level game, opens against Clara Tauson of Denmark.
Getting to the third round would be a decent Olympic showing for either Canadian woman.
Fernandez will then team with fellow Montrealer Gaby Dabrowski in women’s doubles, where they have a shot at a medal, but have a tough draw that would include a third-round match against Wimbledon singles champ Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, who was half of the Wimbledon doubles champs with American Taylor Townsend.
Canada may also have a chance at the podium in mixed doubles, where Auger-Alliasime and Dabrowski will team up, Dabrowski is the third-ranked female doubles player in the world while Auger-Aliassime is not known as a doubles player of consequence.
The tennis begins Saturday and continues until Aug. 4.