Olympic tennis draws set, Canadians learn opponents

Four Canadians learned their potential pathways to an Olympic medal Thursday when the tennis draws were announced in Rio.

Canada will be represented by Eugenie Bouchard, Gabriela Dabrowski, Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil.

The country's best player, seventh-ranked Milos Raonic, withdrew from the Games over health concerns.

Bouchard, 22, is making her Olympic debut in women's singles against Sloane Stephens of the United States. 

"I know Sloane well, as I've known her since we were 12," Bouchard said. "She's playing really well right now so I will just try to play good tennis. It will be a battle for sure. I just want to go out and do as well as I can here."

Bouchard and Dabrowski, also making her Olympic debut, will combine to face Poland's Klaudia Jans-Ignacik and Paula Kania in the opening round of the women's doubles tournament. Should they advance, they could meet No. 1-seeded Venus and Serena Williams of the United States.

Pospisil will take on Frenchman Gael Monfils in the first round of men's singles. The two faced off just two weeks ago at the Rogers Cup, where Monfils won the second-round match.

Nestor and Pospisil, ranked seventh in men's doubles, will play New Zealanders Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus in their opening-round match. Nestor is participating in his sixth Olympic games.

"Things have been going well," Nestor said. "I'm happy to be here as it's a great opportunity. I think we have a chance to medal but every match is tough and comes down to the wire and it will be about who plays better in the big points."

Djokovic draws del Potro

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic will face 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the first round in a rematch of the 2012 bronze medal match.

Del Potro's ranking has fallen to 145th after he endured three operations on his left wrist. But at his first Grand Slam in 2½ years, he upset fourth-seeded Stan Wawrinka at Wimbledon last month. The Argentine beat Djokovic for bronze in London four years ago.

Djokovic, a 12-time major champion, is seeking his first Olympic title. A potential semifinal opponent in Rio de Janeiro is third-seeded Rafael Nadal, who hasn't played since withdrawing from the French Open because of a left wrist injury.

Reigning gold medallist Andy Murray could face fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori in the semifinals. The Wimbledon champion plays 35th-ranked Viktor Troicki in the first round in the 64-player draw, which was announced Thursday. 

Wawrinka and Swiss teammate Roger Federer both pulled out of the Olympics because of injuries, leaving the Rio Games without two of the top four men in the rankings.

In the women's draw, top-ranked Serena Williams, the reigning gold medallist, could face sister Venus in the semifinals. Also on her half of the draw is Spain's Garbine Muguruza, who beat the 22-time major champion in this year's French Open final. And a potential quarterfinal opponent is Italy's Roberta Vinci, who stunned Williams in last year's U.S. Open semifinals to end her Grand Slam bid.

The Williams sisters, coming off a Wimbledon title, are seeded first in doubles as they seek their fourth gold medal together.

Play will begin at the Olympic Tennis Centre in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.

With files from The Associated Press