“Winning Beijing in 2008 was bigger than winning a Grand Slam,” said Rafael Nadal during a press conference before the Paris Olympics. Maybe he was right because as the Paris Olympics fold to the last 4, tennis stars have removed every other thought from their mind. First, it was Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic who withdrew from the Canada Masters, and now it’s Lorenzo Musetti. Olympics fervor has taken over the tennis players, as they are ready to go all in having a shot at eternal glory!

Next up, it’s a replay of Wimbledon, where Musetti lost in the semis to Djokovic. Before that, on these very courts, the Serbian defeated the Italian in R3 of the French Open and now it’s time for a rematch. Is Musetti ready for the big kill? He certainly wants to go all out against the Serbian ace and hopes to be lucky to make it to the finals.

There are two factors at play for Musetti: One, he has the experience of battling Djokovic consecutively at the majors and he might just be able to crack the Serbian code on the court. And second, Djokovic’s troubled knee worries have resurfaced. Maybe he rushed his recovery, and that has come to bite him back. Musetti would be looking forward to leveraging all he had gained in the last few months to have a shot at the title. The news of Musetti’s withdrawal surprised some tennis fans, as they put the news on X:

Even Djokovic himself has retired from the Canada Open because of the troubled knee and constant high performance. Although 2024 has been a stark contrast to the titles won in 2023, Djokovic is not taking this opportunity to recover lost points that have put him at No. 2. Because “I need to make hard choices,” as he put it.

What do the Olympics offer to tennis players? Ranking points? No. Monetary benefits? No. Just the medals, certificate, and a sense of patriotism. Their name carved in the history books to be remembered forever. And it is this shot at history that has the remaining players in the competition dig deeper, and make it to the finals.

Alcaraz withdrew from the Canada Masters to recover for the last Grand Slam of the season, after a hectic schedule since the French Open. While Musetti looks for a historical upset in the semifinals!

Would Lorenzo Musetti’s faith win over Novak Djokovic’s desperate wish for Olympics gold?

While Musetti is betting everything against the Serbian ace, who is playing at his 5th Olympics, it wouldn’t be an easy task for the Italian, considering the fact that Djokovic might be injured. Because of the injury and his fitness, one thing that has given Djokovic sleepless nights is the missing Olympic gold. And this might be his only chance at it, as the 37-year-old is headed towards retirement in the coming future. Hence, Djokovic is desperate, and it would only make him push more against any challenge.

Andy Roddick’s words may offer a better view of Djokovic’s mindset: “You know people are like Novak needs singles gold. I’m like, no, he just wants gold because he doesn’t have it. He is not playing doubles because his knee is not ready. That just means he values his chances in singles more than in doubles, which is accurate. Because in doubles, anything can happen.” 

Nobody can answer who would win or lose in a match, except for the fact that the fitter and better player who doesn’t give up would win it. And both the players are putting everything on the clay!