10 things to look for at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics tennis tournament

 

                                           (Credit: Charly Triballeau/Agence France-Presse-Getty Images) 

The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo get underway this weekend with tennis starting on Saturday. This blog always does a preview and recap of every grand slam with the Olympics being treated as the 5th grand slam. As a result, here is my list of 10 things to look for at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics tennis tournament. 

Note: The Tokyo Olympics are still being referred to as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics even though we are now in the year 2021. Also, no ranking points will be awarded to the players. Click here to access the draws and scores. 

#1. Can Novak Djokovic get the golden slam? Novak Djokovic is gunning for a lot this summer: A record 21st grand slam singles title at the US Open and a golden calendar grand slam, which would mean winning all four grand slams in a calendar year plus an Olympic gold medal. The only tennis player to do this is Steffi Graf back in 1988. If Djokovic can win the gold in Tokyo all he'll have left in front of him is the US Open and the golden slam will be his. 

Personally, I like Djokovic's odds to get the gold medal. He's in Tokyo because he wants the gold and I think he's treating this as seriously as a grand slam. With Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer both missing from the field, Djokovic's job is a little bit easier. This one really is all teed for him to win. While I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, I think the bigger question is whether or not Djokovic can complete the golden slam in New York at the US Open later this summer. 

#2. Can Naomi Osaka get back on track? It's been a strange season for Naomi Osaka as she pulled out of the French Open due to anxiety and subsequently skipped Wimbledon as a result. That's raised a lot of questions about her future, but one thing that helps put everyone at ease, at least a little bit, is the fact that she's participating in the Olympics in front of her home fans in Japan. 

If Osaka can win gold in Tokyo, that would be really cool for her and hopefully help her put what happened at the French Open in the rear view mirror. She's a very talented player that still has a lot of untapped potential. Hopefully the Tokyo games will get her out of her weird mental funk. 

#3. Can Stefanos Tsitsipas bounce back from Wimbledon? After reaching the final at Roland Garros, everyone expected Stefanos Tsitsipas to make a deep run at Wimbledon. As I mentioned in my recap of Wimbledon, Tsitsipas has never done well at Wimbledon and that is something that he needs to figure out. Fortunately, he has the Olympics to look forward to. If he could upset Djokovic to get the gold medal or even get a silver or bronze, that could be just what the doctor ordered to get him back on track after a very disappointing outing in London. 

#4. Can Ashleigh Barty build on her Wimbledon title with a gold medal? After winning Wimbledon, Ashleigh Barty comes in as the #1 ranked player on the women's side, eying a possible "Barty Golden Slam" if she wins gold and the next three grand slams. Barty can breathe a sigh of relief after winning Wimbledon, but she would like to keep the good vibes rolling as she heads into the US Open. Winning a gold medal would certainly help her do that and be another feather in her cap as she goes about establishing herself as the #1 player in the world on the women's side. 

#5. Can Kei Nishikori make a run? It's been a while since Kei Nishikori was relevant in a grand slam, but the Tokyo Olympics present a unique opportunity for Nishikori to play well in front of the home fans. If there's a dark horse on the men's side, it's gotta be Nishikori given that until Naomi Osaka came along, he was the most popular tennis player in the land of the rising sun. If he makes a deep run and finds a way to get a medal, that would be really cool. 

#6. Can Aryna Sabalenka build on her run to the semis at Wimbledon? Another player looking to build on two good weeks in London is Aryna Sabalenka, who comes in as the #3 seed on the women's side. She reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and has to like her chances to get a medal in Tokyo. If she can get a medal that would do wonders for her confidence and help her build even more momentum heading into the US Open. 

#7. Can Daniil Medvedev spoil the party? Daniil Medvedev comes in as the #2 seed on the men's side and the biggest threat to end Novak Djokovic's quest for a golden slam. Medvedev plays well on the hard courts, reaching the Australian Open final earlier this year and the US Open semifinals last year. Medvedev has had fun playing the bad guy and would certainly enjoy being the one to get in the way of history. 

#8. Can Jennifer Brady bring home a medal for the United States? If you are an American looking for one player to possibly bring home a medal in tennis, Jennifer Brady is the player you have to put your faith in. She's the highest ranked American on either side, coming in as the #11 seed.  On top of that, she has had some recent success on the hard courts, reaching the semifinals at the US Open last year and the final at the Australian Open earlier this year. While she is a bit of a dark horse, she has to like the opportunity that's in front of her to be the top ranked American in the field. If she can bring home a medal, that could be a huge boost for her heading into the US Open later this summer. 

#9. Can Alexander Zverev make a run for a medal? Alexander Zverev comes in as the #4 seed on the men's side, making him a contender. However, he's still figuring out how to consistently contend at slams as his run to the 2020 US Open final is his only trip to a grand slam final to date. If there's one player on the men's side that could most benefit from getting a medal, just from a mental standpoint, it would be Zverev without a doubt. 

#10. Can Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova get over the hump? Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is still seeking her first career grand slam title after falling just a bit short in the French Open final earlier this year. While an Olympic gold medal isn't the same as a grand slam title, it's the next best thing and a highly distinctive honor in tennis. If she were able to win gold, that would certainly be one of the feel good stories of the games. How far she goes will certainly be one of the key things to look for in this tournament. 

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10 things to take away from 2021 Wimbledon

 

                                                  (Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports) 

2021 Wimbledon is now behind us, which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were in London. The top seed in both the gentlemen's and ladies' singles draw won the championship, making it somewhat unique in that sense. #1 Novak Djokovic defeated #7 Matteo Berrettini 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the gentlemen's singles final while #1 Ashleigh Barty defeated #8 Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 in the ladies' singles final. 

#1. Novak Djokovic is on path to being the GOAT: Novak Djokovic now has 20 grand slam singles titles, tied for most all-time on the men's side with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He also now has six Wimbledon titles, two back of Federer's all-time mark of eight. While there will always be those who say Federer is the greatest of all-time and to a lesser extent Nadal, it's clear at this point that Djokovic is on path to being the greatest men's tennis player of all-time. He's already tied Federer and Nadal and he is the youngest of the three. There's no reason to doubt that he'll walk out with at least 5+ more grand slam titles and with the US Open just around the corner, he has a chance to finish the year with 21 grand slam titles and hold the record outright. 

When you consider that Djokovic has done this in the era of Federer/Nadal that just makes it all the more amazing. He's never not known having them in front of him, which raises the scary question of what his numbers would look like if they weren't around. Before attempting to complete the calendar slam later this summer at the US Open, Djokovic first heads to Tokyo for the Olympics where he will attempt to get a gold medal, setting up the possibility of a calendar golden slam. It'll be fun to see if Djokovic can pull that off. 

#2. Ashleigh Barty backed up her #1 ranking: Going into Wimbledon, Ashleigh Barty held the world #1 ranking on the women's side, but she did so without having won a grand slam in the past 12 months. She had won a grand slam before at the 2019 French Open, so that helped boost her resume a bit, but still, if you are world #1 without a grand slam title in the past 12 months, some may feel your ranking isn't legit. By winning Wimbledon, Barty backed up her #1 ranking and showed that she is deserving of the world #1 ranking that she holds. She will even further solidify that ranking if she can win a gold medal in Tokyo and/or win the US Open later this summer. 

#3. Roger Federer could be done: Roger Federer's plan to withdraw from Roland Garros after his 4th round match win in order to save his body for Wimbledon didn't go as planned. He exited in the quarterfinals to Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, casting doubts about his long-term outlook. Personally, I think Federer will play one more season as a farewell tour of sorts, giving the tournaments a chance to say one final goodbye to him. 

In terms of whether or not he has one more grand slam title up his sleeves, I think it's unlikely though it is possible that he will be able to get one more. Maybe at this year's US Open, which has historically been the most unpredictable tournament on the men's side for the past few years now. Regardless of how this all ends for Federer, he will go down as one of the greatest players to ever play the game, with some forever calling him the GOAT. 

#4. Serena Williams may never pass Margaret Court: While there isn't as much discussion about Serena Williams' future as there is about Roger Federer's, the truth is there is just as much reason if not more to wonder whether or not Serena is done winning grand slams. She hasn't won a grand slam since the 2017 Australian Open (Federer ironically has won two since then at 2017 Wimbledon and 2018 Australian Open) and she hasn't reached a final since 2019 (Wimbledon and US Open). Wimbledon was especially bad for her as she went down in the 1st round, appearing to injure her knee/ankle. 

As it stands, Serena has won 23 grand slam titles, one shy of Margaret Court's all-time mark of 24. When you consider the data I just presented, it's clear that it's quite possible that Serena is done winning grand slams. If you are a Serena fan looking for some hope, it should be noted that Serena reached the semifinals at the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open. She is better on hard court. So, there is good reason to think she can win another US Open and Australian Open. Still, father time is not on her side and she knows it. 

#5. Hubert Hurkacz could be the next big thing: I might be getting way ahead of myself here, but after reaching the semifinals and knocking off Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, Hubert Hurkacz deserves some love on here. He's only 24 years old and made a major breakthrough at Wimbledon. His previous best outing at a grand slam was reaching the 2nd round. It's of course possible that this was one magical run by Hurkacz and that's it, but if you watch him play, you know that there's more reason to think this is only the beginning for him. He has great size at 6'5", moves well, has confidence, and in general has a really good feel for the game. On top of that he's very poised and relaxed on the court. The US Open and Olympics will be a good test for him to see if he can keep the mojo going. 

#6. Can Karolina Pliskova build on her run to the final? Karolina Pliskova reached her second grand slam final (2016 US Open) after nearly five years. That's a bit surprising since she's one who we thought might even have a grand slam title by now. After reaching her first grand slam final, she didn't do much to build on that reaching just two semifinals until this most recent run to the final. Maybe this is the start of something new for Pliskova and she'll be a threat at the US Open and beyond, but for now I wouldn't hold my breath. 

#7. Matteo Berrettini is the real deal: If we're gonna talk about Hubert Hurkacz possibly being the next big thing, the same has to be asked of Matteo Berrettini after his trip to the gentlemen's final. It was his first trip to a grand slam final and his second trip to a grand slam semifinal (2019 US Open). On top of that, he had a very nice outing at Roland Garros, reaching the quarterfinals. The US Open has recently produced some surprise champions on the men's side (e.g. Dominic Thiem in 2020). Maybe Berrettini will win it all in New York later this year. That's certainly something I might address when my US Open preview comes rolling around. 

#8. Aryna Sabalenka is making progress: While she didn't win it all this year, Aryna Sabalenka's time could be coming soon. She reached her first career grand slam semifinal at Wimbledon and is starting to show that she has the confidence to go deep in grand slams. She came in as the #2 seed and overall backed up her ranking. This year's US Open will be big for her. 

#9. Stefanos Tsitsipas needs to figure out Wimbledon: In case you were wondering if Stefanos Tsitsipas' 1st round exit at Wimbledon can be simply be blamed on fatigue from a run to the French Open final, it doesn't look like that answer will suffice. Sure, it might be part of it, but Tsitsipas has never fared well at Wimbledon. The furthest he's gone at Wimbledon is the 4th round back in 2018. In 2017, 2019, and 2021, the result was the same: 1st round exit. While I don't doubt that Tsitsipas will figure out the grass in the future, at the moment, it does remain something that he needs to figure out if he wants to take his game to the next level. 

#10. It's amazing that Venus Williams is still playing: At 41 years of age, I just wanted to give Venus Williams a shout out for still playing on the tour! Not only that, she's still winning matches at grand slams! She won her first round match at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year. While she is long past her prime and no longer contending for slams, it's nice to see that she still has a love for the game and is out there playing. It certainly would be fun to have one more grand slam featuring Venus Williams in the second week. 

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