Preview / Schedule 2024 Paris Olympic Games Tennis Day Five - Wednesday 31 July including Djokovic, Kerber, Nadalcaraz in action

Wednesday, 31 July 2024 at 16:00

The schedule has been confirmed ahead of Day Five (Tuesday 30 July) at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games which will see the Quarter-Finals mainly take place. Our preview looks ahead to the leading ties to watch at Roland Garros.

Novak Djokovic, a double dose of Carlos Alcaraz, Angelique Kerber's renaissance and Iga Swiatek v Danielle Collins are among the leading storylines of the day as we get closer to the medals being distributed.

Djokovic, Kerber and Nadalcaraz among leading lights on Chatrier

It is an interesting change to start the day on Court Philippe-Chatrier. A tournament that has innovated by for once putting women in the Night Session unlike the French Open, it is a facet that the Olympic Games some may say have got right.

Novak Djokovic will kick off proceedings on Wednesday as he faces off against Dominik Koepfer. After the fanfare of Rafael Nadal, it is back to a tie with less spotlight and one that Djokovic will be expected to win with some degree of ease.

The top seed is followed by Qinwen Zheng who dramatically came back to stave off the threat of Emma Navarro who certainly didn't hold back in her assessment of the Chinese ace post match. But she now has Angelique Kerber in her sights. Somewhat the story of the tournament, it has been retiring players in Andy Murray and Kerber that have taken the spotlight.

Kerber admitted after defeating Leylah Fernandez that retirement was the right decision and if she is able to go out with at least a semi-final, that is certainly a result to behold. Then it is the turn of Nadalcaraz. Another leading story line, the duo team up once more. They face American standouts in Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. They will have no issue spoiling the party. 4th seeds and an established pairing, it is one that they will aim to stamp their authority on. Can the Spaniards survive one more time.

As the Daft Punk song goes, One More Time...

Then it is the turn of Marta Kostyuk. It is a battle of the giantkillers as such with Maria Sakkari and Coco Gauff falling to the Ukrainian and her next opponent Donna Vekic. A big chance awaits the winner.

Then out on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, it is players that usually have been on Chatrier. Carlos Alcaraz will play two matches again. He takes on Roman Safiullin. While Iga Swiatek takes on Danielle Collins as the latter withholds American honour. Alexander Zverev takes on Alexei Popyrin also. While to start off, Tommy Paul will take on Corentin Moutet. The home hero rises again.

Elsewhere, we get Stefanos Tsitsipas v Sebastian Baez, Barbora Krejcikova will aim to seal a second title at this stadium and add to her Wimbledon crown. She faces one of the surprise packages of this week in Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. She has looked exhausted especially in Tuesday's 30 degrees plus. But she found a way against Jasmine Paolini. Sterling from the Slovakian.

Casper Ruud also stars as does another round of Lorenzo Musetti v Taylor Fritz. A real tasty affair that one. While mixed doubles sees Gauff and Fritz in action as well as in their respective doubles, we get Gauff and Pegula v Muchova and Noskova. Leylah Fernandez and Gabriela Dabrowski also face Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider. While Heather Watson anchors Brit hopes twice with Katie Boulter and Joe Salisbury. That is Day Five.

Early Years and Initial Inclusion

1896 Athens Olympics: Tennis was one of the original sports included in the first modern Olympic Games. Both men's singles and doubles events were featured.
1900 Paris Olympics: Women's tennis was introduced, with Charlotte Cooper of Great Britain becoming the first female Olympic champion in history.

Interruption and Absence

1924 Paris Olympics: Tennis was featured for the last time before a long hiatus. It was dropped from the Olympic program due to disputes over amateurism rules and other administrative issues.

Reinstatement and Modern Era

1988 Seoul Olympics: After a 64-year absence, tennis was reintroduced as a full medal sport. This reinstatement marked the beginning of the modern era of Olympic tennis. Steffi Graf of Germany won the women's singles gold, achieving a "Golden Slam" by winning all four Grand Slam titles and the Olympic gold in the same year.
2000 Sydney Olympics: Venus Williams of the United States won both the women's singles and doubles gold medals, with the doubles victory achieved alongside her sister Serena Williams.

Recent Developments

2004 Athens to 2016 Rio Olympics: The period saw champions from diverse nations, including Justine Henin (Belgium), Elena Dementieva (Russia), and Andy Murray (Great Britain), who became the first player to win two consecutive singles gold medals (2012 and 2016).
2020 Tokyo Olympics: Novak Djokovic, despite being a favorite, was upset in the semi-finals. Alexander Zverev of Germany won the men's singles gold, while Belinda Bencic of Switzerland won the women's singles gold.

Notable Achievements

Williams Sisters: Serena and Venus Williams have been particularly successful, winning multiple gold medals in both singles and doubles, solidifying their legacy in Olympic tennis history.
Steffi Graf: Her "Golden Slam" in 1988 remains one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of the sport.