Paris Olympics 2024: Novak Djokovic vs Matthew Ebden preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (1) Novak Djokovic vs (Alt) Matthew Ebden

Date: July 27, 2024

Tournament: Paris Olympics 2024

Round: First Round (Round of 64)

Venue: Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France

Category: Olympics

Surface: Clay

Live Telecast: USA - NBC, Peacock | UK - Eurosport, Discovery+, BBC iPlayer | Canada - CBC Gem, Radio Canada, Tou.tv | India - JioCinema, Sports18

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Novak Djokovic vs Matthew Ebden preview

Top seed Novak Djokovic will take on Matthew Ebden in the first round of the Paris Olympics 2024.

Djokovic started the year by reaching the quarterfinals of the United Cup with his fellow Serbs. His title defence at the Australian Open concluded in the semifinals with a four-set loss to Jannik Sinner. He returned to the tour at the Indian Wells Masters after that, and lost to another Italian, Luca Nardi, in the third round.

Djokovic started the clay swing with a semifinal finish at the Monte-Carlo Masters. After a third-round exit from the Italian Open, his earliest at the venue, he took a wildcard to compete in the Geneva Open. He made it to the semifinals there, losing to Tomas Machac in three sets.

The Serb was the defending champion at the French Open, and made it to the quarterfinals. He withdrew prior to his match against Casper Ruud due to a knee injury. He underwent surgery for the same, and reached the final of Wimbledon upon his return, though he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in a rematch of last year's final.

Ebden called it a time on his singles career in 2022 and focused solely on doubles since then. He has since captured a couple of Major titles, including one at the Australian Open this year, and reached the top of the rankings as well.

Edben had entered the men's doubles and the mixed doubles events at the Paris Olympics. Following a few withdrawals in the singles draw, he managed to secure a place for himself in the draw due to the special rules at the Olympics.

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Novak Djokovic vs Matthew Ebden head-to-head

This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.

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Novak Djokovic vs Matthew Ebden odds

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Novak Djokovic vs Matthew Ebden prediction

After struggling to even reach a final, Djokovic finally did the same at Wimbledon. While he came up short against an inspired Alcaraz, he will be keen to build on that performance.

Ebden tussled with the Serb's biggest rivals - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray, during his singles career. Now he gets a shot to go toe-to-toe with the 24-time Major champion as well.

Ebden is the clear underdog given that he hasn't played a singles match in a while. Even when he dabbled in the discipline, he went 3-11 against top-10 players. This should be a rather straightforward win for Djokovic, and he should move one step closer to securing the gold medal with it.

Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.