Olympics tennis seeding sets up potential Wimbledon final rematch

The seeding has been announced for the Olympics tennis singles events in Paris this week, with Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic occupying the top two spots in the men’s event.

This confirms that a rematch of the Wimbledon final between Carlos Alcaraz and Djokovic could occur in the semi-finals, with Alcaraz seeded at No.3 in the Olympics draw.

Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Alexander Zverev holds the fourth seed and will play Djokovic if he is not drawn against Alcaraz.

In the women’s event, world No.1 Iga Swiatek is the top seed.

Below her, the absence of world No.3 Aryna Sabalenka and two-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur means Jasmine Paolini is No.4 seed.

Alcaraz, Sinner and Djokovic favoured for medals

The top three seeds in the men’s singles event are also the three men most favoured by tennis bookmakers to win gold this year.

Alcaraz has his nose slightly in front at $2.62, with the Spaniard having recently won the French Open on the same courts that the Olympics tennis event will be contested on.

The 21-year-old backed up his Roland-Garros title with a second Wimbledon crown 10 days ago as well.

The next two are neck and neck. Bet365 gives Sinner an edge at $3.75 to $4, but other tennis bookies have the two dead even to win gold.

After these three, the odds begin to lengthen rapidly for the rest of the field.

Zverev is paying $6 to defend his title, ahead of 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal ($9) and former French Open finalist Casper Ruud ($13).

The remainder of the field is paying in excess of $20.

Swiatek odds-on to win gold in first Olympics

Last time the Olympic Games were on, Swiatek was trying to decide whether she should play tennis full-time or go to university.

Now, she is a $1.53 favourite to win gold in Paris. The top seed towers above the rest of the women’s singles draw, with the next best being top American Coco Gauff at $7.

Of the four Americans featuring in the top 11 seeds, only two are in the top 11 lines of betting with online bookmakers. This is despite the fact that Olympics seeding rules dictate that each US representative will be drawn in a separate quarter from each other.

Other medal contenders in the women’s singles are Elena Rybakina ($10), Naomi Osaka ($15) and Mirra Andreeva ($15).

Each will have a tough time overcoming Swiatek, however, given the Pole has only lost once at Roland-Garros in the past five years.

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