Following a number of high-profile withdrawals, the men’s singles draw for the Rio Olympics has now been finalised. Despite diminished numbers, there are still plenty of top class players in the competition. That said, can anyone prevent what seems like an inevitable gold medal match between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic?
The short answer is, probably not. Both Murray and Djokovic have shown remarkable consistency in 2016. The Scot is on a winning streak and hasn’t lost a match since he faced his Serbian rival in the final of the French Open. Similarly, despite his shocking exit from Wimbledon, Djokovic has only lost four matches all year. The World #1 also has the added motivation of trying to capture that elusive Olympic gold medal.
As things stand, nobody else in the draw can currently compete with the Scot and the Serb. The two are on another level both physically and mentally.
Djokovic highlighted this perfectly at the Rogers Cup. Despite not playing his best tennis, he still emerged victorious at the end of the week. He was under the cosh at various points against Gaël Monfils and Tomáš Berdych, but still came out on top [1].
Djokovic, like Murray, knows exactly when to raise his game and can shift through the gears at just the right moment. This is an ability that many other players on the tour can only dream of possessing.
Conversely, both find themselves with potential banana skins in the first round of Rio. Djokovic will face Juan Martin Del Potro, the man who defeated him in the bronze medal match at London 2012. The Argentine also made a huge statement of intent when he dumped Stan Wawrkinka out of Wimbledon.
