Rio Olympics 2016, Tennis: Top 5 contenders for the Olympic Gold in Men’s Singles

**Gunning for Gold: Can Novak Djokovic carry forward his momentum into the Rio Olympics 2016?**

1. Kei Nishikori

Olympic Seeding: 5

**The ‘Kei’ Moment: Can Nishikori become the first Japanese man to win an Olympic Gold in the Men’s Singles?**

Kei Nishikori has won most of his career titles on hard courts. His maiden Grand Slam Final was at the US Open in 2014. He beat an in form Novak Djokovic in the Semi Final that year.

Nishikori’s career has been an injury-riddled one. A rib injury had forced him to withdraw from Wimbledon last month.

However, the Japanese No.1 seems to have recovered from it as he reached the Final of the Rogers Cup overcoming some formidable players in the draw. In the semi-final, he dispatched Stan Wawrinka in straight sets. Though he fell to the eventual winner, Novak Djokovic, in straight sets in the final of the Rogers Cup, Nishikori has got the game to win an Olympic Gold on the fast hard courts at Rio.

Ichiya Kumagae was the first Japanese man to win an Olympic medal in the Men’s Singles category. He bagged an Olympic Silver medal in the Antwerp Olympics of 1920.

Should Nishikori manage to clinch Gold at Rio, he will be the first Japanese to achieve this feat and the second player from his country to win an Olympic medal in the Men’s Singles category.