Tennis at Paris Olympics 2024 Day 1: Men's singles predictions ft. Carlos Alcaraz vs Hady Habib

Tennis at the Paris Olympics 2024 will begin on Saturday, July 27. Most of the top players from the ATP and WTA Tours have gathered in France for the same. The clay courts of Roland Garros will be the venue for tennis at the Games.

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is one of the most notable absentees as he was forced to withdraw at the last minute due to tonsillitis. Three-time Major champion Andy Murray is set to retire after this edition of the Olympics, though he will participate only in doubles.

Carlos Alcaraz, one of the leading contenders to grab the gold medal, will be in action twice on the first day. He will first take to the court for his singles contest, and then team up with Rafael Nadal for his doubles duel. This will be the 21-year-old's debut at the Olympics as well.

On that note, here's a look at the predictions for some key men's singles matches lined up on Day 1 of the Paris Olympics:

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#1 - Carlos Alcaraz vs Hady Habib

Alcaraz captured his third Major title at the French Open a few weeks ago, and his first at the claycourt Major. He then mounted a successful title defense to clinch his fourth Grand Slam crown at Wimbledon.

Habib, ranked No. 275, mainly competes on the Challenger and ITF circuits. This will be his first time going up against the top players on the ATP Tour outside of the Davis Cup. Competing in the Paris Olympics is a huge opportunity for him.

Alcaraz's previous loss against a player ranked outside the top 200 was over three years ago in Kitzbuhel against Alexander Erler. It is also the only time he has lost to a player ranked that low. Given the Spaniard's form, it's unlikely that he will crash out this early.

Predicted winner: Carlos Alcaraz

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#2 - Daniil Medvedev vs Rinky Hijikata

Daniil Medvedev is the fourth seed at the Paris Olympics. (Photo: Getty)

Medvedev has a 33-10 record this season, and he went 9-4 on clay, with a fourth-round finish at the French Open. This will be his second appearance at the Olympics, and he reached the quarterfinals on his debut in Tokyo.

Hijikata had a tough time on clay this year, going 1-4 on the red dirt, and is on a four-match losing streak on the surface. He's also 0-6 against top-10 players in his career and has only managed to claim one set against them in his six losses.

While Medvedev's results on clay are lacking compared to hardcourts and grass, he has improved considerably. He should have no problem in dealing with Hijikata to begin his Paris Olympics campaign on a winning note.

Predicted winner: Daniil Medvedev

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#3 - Stan Wawrinka vs Pavel Kotov

The Paris Olympics will mark Wawrinka's first appearance at the quadrennial games since he competed in London back in 2012. He doesn't have a great record at the tournament, going 1-2 in singles thus far.

As for Kotov, he will be making his Olympic debut. He also beat Wawrinka in the second round of the French Open a few weeks ago. The Swiss will be keen to avenge that loss but his recent results suggest otherwise.

Wawrinka's record for the year stands at 4-10, though three of those wins have come on clay. He's a former runner-up at the French Open, and is no pushover on clay, provided he puts his best foot forward. Kotov has performed considerably better than the three-time Major champion this year, and will be the favorite to one-up him once again.

Predicted winner: Pavel Kotov

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#4 - Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Zizou Bergs

Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Paris Olympics 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Tsitsipas enjoyed considerable success on clay this year. He captured his third title at the Monte-Carlo Masters, reached the final of the Barcelona Open, and the quarterfinals of the French Open.

The Greek has a 26-8 record at Roland Garros, making it his most successful Major. He's a former finalist at the venue as well, going down to Novak Djokovic in five sets in the 2021 final.

Tsitsipas made the third round in the previous edition of the Olympics, and he will be keen to better that record this time. Bergs' star has been on the rise as well this year. He reached the third round of a Major for the first time at the French Open and cracked the top 75 of the ATP rankings as well.

The Paris Olympics will mark Bergs' debut at the Olympics too. He previously crossed paths with Tsitsipas earlier this year at the Australian Open and lost to him in four sets. Given that they're now competing on clay, the Greek will be favored to come out on top yet again.

Predicted winner: Stefanos Tsitsipas