ATP tennis stars aiming for Paris 2024: Djokovic chasing a first gold, young prospects making their Olympic debuts and perhaps one last dance for Nadal
The next Olympic Games are an important goal for the world’s top tennis players with many ATP stars expressing their desire to play at Paris 2024, where the competition will take place on the iconic courts of Roland Garros from 27 July to 4 August.
Tennis
Some of the world’s top tennis stars are dreaming about their debut at the Games, while others are aiming for the podium and one has his sights set on winning the only title missing from his legendary career.
The famous courts of Roland Garros will be the stage for the Paris 2024 Olympic tennis tournament. It is an iconic venue that, less than two months after the end of the next French Open, will once again be lit up as it hosts the world’s best tennis players as they aim for gold in Paris.
The grandeur of the stage recalls memories of 2012 when the men’s and women’s Wimbledon titles were awarded between July and August on the same courts where the Olympic titles were won less than a month later.
Now, with the next edition of the Games only months away many of today’s top tennis stars have expressed their desire to compete at the upcoming Olympics.
Among them is men’s No.1 Novak Djokovic - a record-breaking machine in the sport. The Serbian won bronze at Beijing 2008 but will be aiming for the top step on the podium in Paris.
Read on to find out what the most successful tennis players on the men’s and women’s circuits have in store during the Olympic qualifying season and what it would mean to them to play at Paris 2024.
Djokovic: 'I want the Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympic Games in 2024'
Nole was clear about his intentions. "Winning the Olympic Games is definitely one of the most important goals of the season, beyond the Grand Slam tournaments," he told reporters at a press conference following his victory in the 2023 ATP Finals. The Serb ended the year as a champion and does not want anything less in 2024.
"It's going to be a very busy calendar, with the transition from the slower surface to the faster surface and then back to the slower surface," he said.
With 24 wins from 36 finals played, he is the winningest athlete in history in men's singles Grand Slam events: 10 Australian Open, 7 Wimbledon, 4 US Open and 3 Roland Garros titles.
After the bronze medal he won in Beijing 2008, Nole has failed to reach the podium of the Olympics again in his career.
"It will be a very trying time of the year, so I will have to talk to my team to plan training and preparation so that I can play my best tennis," he explained.
Djokovic also talked about how he feels about facing the new generation of tennis talents such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune: "As long as I am able to win against them in big tournaments I will continue to play. I want whoever faces me to feel the pressure."
Simone Vagnozzi, coach of Jannik Sinner: 'The slams and Paris are the priorities’
In an interview last November with "Il Messaggero," Simone Vagnozzi, coach of Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Australia’s Darren Cahill, spoke about the Italian’s goals for the new year after he helped his national team win the 2023 Davis Cup.
"The slams and the Games are the priority. We need to be stable in the rankings, to be among the top 3 or 4 in the world, reach the semi-finals of a slam and go deep in the Masters 1000.
“With continuity, a big win could also happen, perhaps at Paris 2024. We are not thinking about being no. 1 but through hard work you can reach the top.”
Last season, Vagnozzi also won the first Masters 1000 title of his career in Toronto and reached the final of the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin. However, he has never competed at the Olympics.
"The Olympic Games come at a congested time of the season and you have to change surfaces three times in a short time: from grass at Wimbledon to Olympic clay at Roland Garros to North American hard courts at the US Open."
Zverev: 'An honour to represent Germany at the Olympic Games'
It has been two and a half years since Germany's Alexander Zverev secured one of the greatest achievements of his career by winning Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 after overcoming Karen Chacanov in the final.
Only hours before the start of the 2023 ATP finals, the world no. 7 expressed his desire to compete in the next edition of the Games where he will battle for gold as Olympic champion.
"Paris 2024 is a great goal. It's a great honour for me to represent my country and be part of this," he told the media during a press conference.
The Games have been a great experience for him - both on and off the field of play.
"Living from the inside the Olympic village is an experience that we don't get to experience at other times outside the Games," he said, reflecting on his time in Japan.
Alcaraz: 'Paris 2024 a priority'
Having already won two Grand Slam tournaments (the US Open in 2022 and Wimbledon in 2023) Spanish 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz is also looking forward to the upcoming Games.
"I would love to participate, they are a priority goal for me," he told reporters on the eve of last year's ATP Finals.
"I will work to be in Paris and to represent my country, but before then there will still be many important tournaments and I will have to focus on those."
Meanwhile, his compatriot Rafael Nadal, a two-time career Olympic gold medalist, could attempt to end his Olympic career on the courts of Paris 2024. It's an idea that has got many fans in Spain and beyond dreaming about just what could be if he has the opportunity to return to the courts where his legend was born.
Bopanna: 'Paris 2024? I hope to find a partner and qualify'
At 43 years old and ranked third in the world, India's Rohan Bopanna is one of the veterans of the doubles circuit.
During the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin, he spoke to Olympics.com about his chances of participating in the Games.
"For Paris, I need to find a partner to qualify with. I would love to participate and represent my country because the Games are one of the most important events in the world and it would be great to go back. It's a long way to go."
Looking even further ahead, Bopanna said he is excited about watching India's national cricket team play at Los Angeles 2028.
"The sport's entry into the Olympic programme is great news as the most important and followed sport in the country. I also have many friends who play squash and I am happy that this discipline will also be present in Los Angeles," he said.