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India's top singles player Sumit Nagal is set to take on Frenchman Corentin Moutet in the first round at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The two have faced each other four times so far, thrice in Challenger and Future matches and once on the ATP tour.
Nagal and Moutet are currently tied 2-2 in the head-to-head. They most recently locked horns in the Round of 32 in Marrakech in April, where Nagal came from a set down to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji will also begin their campaign with a clash against local favorites, Fabien Reboul and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
Bopanna has shown that age is just a number. The 44-year-old became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title when he won the Australian Open this year with Matthew Ebden. Balaji, on the other hand, is a strong player on clay and has been on a good run of form of late.
Tennis events at the Paris Olympics are set to be held at Roland-Garros, the venue of the French Open. The tournament begins on July 27 and ends on August 4.
Sumit Nagal handed tough draw, Rohan Bopanna eyes final shot at Olympic medal
While Sumit Nagal will head into his first-round match against Corentin Moutet with confidence, he will have to come through so tough fixtures if he manages to progress to the next rounds.
The World No. 80 is in the same quarter as Carlos Alcaraz, four-time Grand Slam winner. Nagal could potentially face fifth seed Australian Alex de Minaur if he makes it past Moutet.
In the men's doubles, Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji have a good chance of beating Fabien Reboul and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the opening round. The Indian pair could then face second seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the second round.
A fourth-place finish in mixed doubles alongside Sania Mirza at the 2016 Rio Games remains Bopanna's best result at the quadrennial event. The 44-year-old, who is the oldest athlete in the Indian contingent in Paris, could be looking at this as his last chance to clinch an Olympic medal before bringing the curtains down on his career.
