The Olympic tennis tournament in Rio, which will run a week and a half in early August, has been plagued by a few injuries and absences. On the women’s side, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova will create a very large void. On the men’s side, there was no huge blockbuster pullout… until Tuesday afternoon, when Roger Federer announced that he will miss not just the Olympics, but the rest of the 2016, to fully rehabilitate the knee he injured the day after his Australian Open loss. How does Federer’s pullout affect the men’s Olympic tennis tournament?
Novak Djokovic Has Only Two Main Obstacles To A Gold Medal
Here’s the thing about Djokovic’s gold medal prospects: Before Federer pulled out, Djokovic knew he was likely to play either Federer or Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals. Federer was going to be seeded third, Wawrinka fourth. With Federer out, Djokovic has a chance to play someone other than Federer or Wawrinka in the semifinals, which would enable him to play in his first Olympic gold medal match. He played in the bronze medal match in both 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London, splitting those matches. Rafael Nadal is in the Olympic tournament, but he’s had no match play in two full months. Nadal is in Rio to compete, but he can’t be expected to go very far. Wawrinka is Djokovic’s only concern before the gold medal match, and if Wawrinka is slotted into Andy Murray’s half of the draw, Djokovic should enjoy a romp to the championship match in this tournament. After a disappointing end to his Wimbledon campaign, this gives Djokovic an excellent chance to make amends and get back on track.
Andy Murray Gains A Greater Chance Of Repeating As Olympic Champion
Murray won’t play this tournament at Wimbledon, which he was able to do in the 2012 London Olympics, but with Federer out, Murray can now hope that Wawrinka is placed in Djokovic’s half of the draw. If that happens, the only other player that could have given the Scotsman a real run for his money is Milos Raonic, who was tired and worn out when he faced Murray in the Wimbledon final. However, remember that Raonic has withdrawn from the Olympic games due to a number of reasons. On top of that, we also won’t see another Top 10 player in Tomas Berdych. That means Murray’s odds of a favorable draw just improved. It should either be him or Djokovic that takes home the gold medal.
The Player Seeded Five Through Seven Who Gets Rafael Nadal’s Quarter Could Be The Bronze Medal Favorite
The loss of Federer in the draw means that Rafael Nadal will be seeded fourth. As such, a player seeded five through eight will be slotted to play him in the quarterfinals. That’s going to be a favorable draw compared to Wawrinka, Murray and Djokovic. Whoever gets that Nadal slot has a great chance of making the semifinals and becoming the bronze medal favorite, or at least a co-favorite with Wawrinka. Remember that Nadal has had a rough season and his latest issue is a wrist problem. However, coaches say he is finally on course for the 2016 Games. Spain is expecting him to be the flag bearer in the opening ceremonies. He’s expected to travel to Rio in the coming days with countrymate David Ferrer, who will also be participating in the tournament.
Watch Seeds 12, 13 and 16
When a player pulls out of a tournament, all the seeds move up one. When a player goes from the 13 seed to the 12 seed, that means he doesn’t have to play any of the top four in the round of 16. He plays five through eight in that round and can then play the top four in the quarterfinals. The 13 seed has to deal with the top four in the round of 16. Then consider the No. 16 seed. By being seeded, that player gets to avoid tougher competition in the first two rounds. Federer’s absence in Rio opened the door for a few players to get better draws. Will they take advantage?
