Djokovic eyes Nadal Olympic clash as Alcaraz, Swiatek cruise

Novak Djokovic set up a potential Olympic Games blockbuster with Rafael Nadal on Saturday as French Open champions Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek made winning returns to a rain-swept Roland Garros.

Djokovic, chasing a first Olympic gold to add to his 24 Grand Slams, brushed aside Australia’s Matthew Ebden 6-0, 6-1 in just 53 minutes under the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier.

Alcaraz, fresh from defeating Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, eased past Hady Habib of Lebanon while Swiatek enjoyed a straight-sets win against Irina-Camelia Begu.

Nadal, who has been carrying a thigh strain, will take on Djokovic for the 60th time if he gets past Marton Fucsovics of Hungary on Sunday.

He warmed up for that clash by partnering Alcaraz to a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 win over Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni of Argentina.

It was the players’ first match as a pair as Nadal, with his right thigh bandaged, started his bid for a second doubles gold after Rio in 2016, having also captured singles gold in Beijing in 2008.

The torrential rain which swamped the opening ceremony on Friday also brought havoc to Roland Garros, where play on the outside courts was wiped out.

Only a handful of the day’s matches were completed on the covered Chatrier and Suzanne Lenglen arenas.

“Playing him is like finals for me. His record at Roland Garros speaks for itself,” said Djokovic of potentially facing Nadal, who has won the French Open 14 times.

“If we face each other, it’s possibly going to be for the last time on the big stage.”

On Saturday, Djokovic was barely pushed by 36-year-old Ebden, who only made the tournament as an alternate after a series of injury pullouts.

Without a singles ranking, doubles specialist Ebden had not played a singles match for two years before he got an unexpected Olympics call.

Djokovic needed just 24 minutes to wrap up the first set and was 4-0 up in the second before the Australian won a game.

Ebden, playing to a sympathetic crowd, celebrated by pulling his shirt over his head.

But that was as good as it got for the Australian Open doubles champion, who was broken six times and hit just seven winners to the 24 of Djokovic.

“The only goal I had was not to get injured. I was never going to win. I got one game at least and I said to Novak I was sorry I couldn’t give him more of a hit,” said Ebden.

Alcaraz enjoyed a winning start to his Olympic Games career when he swept aside Lebanon’s Hady Habib, the world number 275, in just 70 minutes winning 6-3, 6-1.

•⁠ ⁠’Incredible experience’ –

“It was an incredible experience, the energy of the crowd was crazy,” said third-ranked Alcaraz.

Also going through on a curtailed day was fourth seeded Daniil Medvedev, the Russian former world number one playing as a neutral, who defeated Rinky Hijikata in straight sets.

Women’s world number one Swiatek battled to a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Begu as the 23-year-old Pole returned to the court where she captured a fourth French Open title last month.

“I’m happy to get through. The atmosphere was a little bit different so I was a little more nervous,” she said.

“But I have the chance to work on a few things tomorrow so my level can be higher in the second round.”

Swiatek, who only made the second round on her Olympics debut in Tokyo three years ago, will face either Diane Parry of France or Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska for a place in the last 16.

Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, easily defeated by Swiatek in the French Open final, also made the second round with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Romania’s Ana Bogdan.

“It’s great to come back here, it’s a different kind of tournament when it’s the Olympics,” said Paolini.

“I really love to play for my country but I feel a little more pressure.”

Saturday’s night session will close with Naomi Osaka, a four-time major winner, taking on fellow former world number one Angelique Kerber, the 36-year-old German, who will retire from tennis at the Olympics.

AFP