Australian star's hilarious reaction to tough Olympic draw: Facing Djokovic and potential Nadal at Paris 2024

Mathew Ebden reacted to the tough draw at Paris 2024, where he will face Novak Djokovic in the first round and potentially Rafael Nadal in the second round. The 2-time Grand Slam doubles champion arrived at the Olympic Games as a candidate in doubles and mixed doubles, though he unexpectedly qualified for singles.

Ebden benefited from several last-minute withdrawals, including Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune, and Hubert Hurkacz. The Australian has no singles ranking and hasn’t played a singles match in a year. Nevertheless, he unexpectedly entered as an alternate.

Ebden jokes about facing Djokovic and Nadal possible in Round 2

His participation in singles likely doesn’t carry many expectations, considering he has been focused solely on doubles for the past few years. The Australian also drew perhaps the worst luck, being matched against Djokovic in the first round and potentially Nadal in the second round.

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Ebden is currently the world No. 3 in men’s doubles, having reached No. 1 in February of this year. He has two Grand Slam titles in men’s doubles and one in mixed doubles. He will partner with John Peers in men’s doubles and Ellen Perez in mixed doubles (they will be the second seeds in the draw).

Following the draw, Ebden had a humorous reaction that sparked comments from fans on social media. The Australian took his tough draw with humor: “When you find out you got into alternate into the Olympics singles only to draw @djokernole 1st round to play @rafaelnadal in the 2nd round.”

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