Olympics 2021: Novak Djokovic/Nina Stojanovic's projected path to the mixed doubles final

Novak Djokovic will partner Nina Stojanovic in the mixed doubles event at the Tokyo Olympics. The star-studded draw features a number of formidable singles players including Ashleigh Barty, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, and Iga Swiatek.

Djokovic is just three matches away from getting his hands on the elusive gold medal in singles. He raced through the first two rounds, defeating Bolivia's Hugo Dellien and Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets. He will next face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round on Wednesday.

He will then kick off his mixed doubles campaign with Stojanovic, who he has never played with before. Stojanovic is ranked No. 42 in women's doubles and had a breakthrough year in 2021, reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open and quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

On that note, let's take a look at Djokovic and Stojanovic's projected path to the mixed doubles final.

Novak Djokovic / Nina Stojanovic's 1st round opponents - Marcelo Melo / Luisa Stefani

Nina Stojanovic

Djokovic and Stojanovic will face off against the Brazilian pair of Marcelo Melo and Luisa Stefani in the first round.

Both Melo and Stefani are specialist doubles players, with the former reaching the summit of the world rankings back in 2015. Melo has won two Grand Slam titles -- the Wimbledon Championships in 2017 with Lukasz Kubot and Roland Garros in 2015 with Ivan Dodig.

Djokovic and Stojanovic will definitely have their task cut out in the very first round.

Novak Djokovic / Nina Stojanovic's likely quarterfinal opponents - Rajeev Ram / Bethanie Mattek-Sands

If Djokovic and Stojanovic do get past the first hurdle, they could meet American doubles specialists Rajeev Ram and Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the quarterfinals. Ram and Mattek-Sands have won a combined 47 titles in doubles with various partners over the years.

Mattek-Sands has won five Grand Slam titles in women's doubles with Lucie Safarova and four in mixed doubles as well.

Ram, meanwhile, has three Grand Slam titles to his name -- one in men's doubles with Joe Salisbury and two in mixed doubles with Barbora Krejcikova.

Ram and Mattek-Sands also won medals in the mixed doubles in 2016, albeit with different partners. Mattek-Sands won gold alongside Jack Sock after defeating Ram and Venus Williams in the final in Rio.

Novak Djokovic / Nina Stojanovic's likely semifinal opponents - Nicolas Mahut / Kristina Mladenovic

If the Serbian pair reach the semifinals, they could face top seeds Nicolas Mahut and Kristina Mladenovic. Mahut and Mladenovic are ranked No. 3 in the world in the men's doubles and women's doubles rankings respectively.

Mahut has five Grand Slam doubles titles to his name, while Mladenovic has seven -- five in women's doubles and two in mixed.

The French pair are undoubtedly the favorites to win the gold medal at the Olympics. However, both of them have struggled in Tokyo thus far. Both Mladenovic and Mahut were knocked out in their respective first-round encounters in women's and men's doubles.

So they will look to make the most of their partnership in the mixed doubles event.

Novak Djokovic / Nina Stojanovic's likely opponents in the final - Stefanos Tsitsipas / Maria Sakkari

If Djokovic and Stojanovic successfully navigate their way through the top half of the draw, they could face Greek pair of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari in the title decider. Tsitsipas is still in contention to win a medal in the singles event, while Sakkari was knocked out by Elina Svitolina in the third round on Tuesday.

Tsitsipas and Sakkari have both had a great year in singles. Tsitsipas reached his maiden Grand Slam final at Roland Garros last month, while Sakkari advanced to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova.

Tsitsipas and Sakkari have played together in the Hopman Cup in the past. They famously defeated the Swiss pair of Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic in 2019.

They are seeded second in the mixed doubles at the Olympics this year and would definitely be a force to reckon with if they reach the final.