"Novak Djokovic 1R to play Rafael Nadal 2R" - Mathew Ebden hilariously reacts to finding out his Paris Olympics 2024 singles draw

Australia's Matthew Ebden has been drawn against Novak Djokovic in the first round of the 2024 Paris Olympics. His potential second-round opponent is Rafael Nadal.

Ebden was an alternate in the singles event and was added to the draw following the withdrawal of Denmark's Holger Rune. The Australian player is a specialist in the doubles category but has not played in the singles in almost two years. He is unranked in singles.

The draw for the tennis event at the Paris Olympics was released on Thursday, July 25. World No. 2 Djokovic, who is the top seed in Paris following Italy's Jannik Sinner's withdrawal, was drawn against Ebden. If the Aussie manages to defeat the Serb, he will potentially take on Spain's Rafael Nadal next.

Ebden shared his reaction to the Olympics draw on Instagram. In a short video, he wrote with a shocked reaction on his face:

"When you find out you got alternate into the Olympics singles only to draw Novak Djokovic 1st round to play Rafael Nadal 2nd round."

Ebden's last match on tour in the singles event was a qualifier for an ATP 250 event in Winston-Salem in August 2022. He is on a four-match losing streak in singles. The Aussie's highest career rank of 39 was achieved in 2018. He has not played in a Grand Slam singles main draw since 2020.

However, Ebden's doubles resume is worthy of mention. Among his multiple titles in doubles, he has won three Grand Slam titles as well.

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Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal could face off in the Paris Olympics 2024 2R

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the 2022 French Open. (Image via Getty).

Novak Djokovic faces Matthew Ebden in the first round of the 2024 Paris Olympics, while Rafael Nadal takes on Hungary's Marton Fucsovics. If Djokovic and Nadal manage to win their first-round matches, they could face each other in a blockbuster second-round clash. It will potentially be their 60th encounter.

Djokovic and Nadal's head-to-head record is currently led by the Serb 30-29. They last met at the 2022 French Open in the quarterfinal. The Spaniard won that match and went on to win the title.

The pair have faced each other at the Olympics before. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nadal got the better of Djokovic in three sets in the semifinal. The Spaniard went on to win the gold medal by defeating Chile's Fernando González in the final.