Leylah Fernandez gets Olympic 1st-round test in Karolina Muchova
Czech player won lone meeting in 2022; Auger-Aliassime eyes redemption at Games
Leylah Fernandez, of Laval, Que., faces a tough first-round match in the women's singles at the Paris Olympics.
The Paris Games organizers conducted the draws for the five Olympic tennis brackets on Thursday.
Fernandez, the 16th seed, will play Czech player Karolina Muchova, a 2023 French Open finalist, on Saturday the first round on the clay courts of Roland Garros. Muchova, ranked 29th in the world, won their only previous encounter in 2022 on hard courts in Miami.
Bianca Andreescu, of Mississauga, Ont., will meet Denmark's Clara Tauson, ranked 63rd in the world, in her opening match also on Saturday.
In the men's draw, Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime, the 13th seed, will also start his campaign Saturday against American Marcos Giron, ranked 38th.
Auger-Aliassime reached the quarterfinals in Gstaad, Switzerland last week and had a strong clay court season, including a final at the Madrid Masters and a round of 16 at Roland Garros. The 24-year-old has won three of his four previous matches against Giron.
Auger-Aliassime, who lost in the first round of singles at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, will also compete in men's doubles with Milos Raonic, of Thornhill, Ont., and in mixed doubles with Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski.
Fernandez, Dabrowski seeded 5th in doubles
Raonic and Auger-Aliassime will face Americans Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz, the third seeds, in the first round. Dabrowski and Auger-Aliassime will play against the British duo of Heather Watson and Joe Salisbury.
Fernandez and Dabrowski, a winner of 16 women's doubles titles, will play France's Clara Burel and Varvara Gracheva on Saturday in the first round of the women's doubles. The Canadians are seeded fifth.
WATCH | Ons Jabeur eliminates Fernandez in French Open 3rd round:
Raonic, 33, participating in his first Olympics since London 2012, will face Germany's Dominik Koepfer in the opening round of men's singles on Sunday.
Canada has only won one Olympic tennis medal, which was a gold by Sebastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor at the Sydney Games in 2000.
However, the country has been experiencing a surge on the international stage in team events. The men's team won the Davis Cup in 2022, and the women's team lifted the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023.
In other play, top-seeded Novak Djokovic could meet his longtime rival Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Paris Olympic tennis tournament.
Ailing Nadal practises with Alcaraz
Djokovic was drawn Thursday against Australian Matthew Ebden and Nadal faces Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, with the winners of those matches meeting in Round 2.
On Friday, Nadal practised alongside doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros on Friday as doubts continued about the Spaniard's fitness ahead of the Olympic tennis competition.
The 38-year-old had missed his training slot on Thursday with Germany's Alexander Zverev with Spain's coach Carlos Moya saying he was struggling with a thigh injury.
Fourteen-time French Open champion Nadal wore a strapping on his right thigh on Friday as he practised under the closed roof of Court Phillipe Chatrier but appeared untroubled.
Spain's so-called dream team partnership are scheduled to begin their quest for gold on Saturday against Argentine seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteri.
While doubles might be possible even with a niggle, Nadal would be reluctant to play singles with an injury and risk then scuppering his doubles chances with French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz.
"The idea of giving up one of the competitions has not been raised, but if the time comes and he is limited for the singles, it can be raised without any doubt," Moya said.
"Doubles is much less demanding and there are real options, if they play well, of a medal."
Andy Murray to play doubles only
Two-time Olympic gold medallist Andy Murray pulled out of singles at the Paris Games and only will compete in doubles with Dan Evans.
Murray, a 37-year-old from Britain, has said these Olympics will be the final event of his career.
He's dealt with a series of injuries, including a hip replacement in 2019, and most recently needed surgery last month to remove a cyst from his spine.
Murray pulled out of singles at Wimbledon this month and played one match in doubles alongside his older brother, Jamie.
"I've taken the decision to withdraw from the singles to concentrate on the doubles with Dan. Our practice has been great and we're playing well together," Murray said Thursday. "Really looking forward to getting started and representing GB one more time."
His withdrawal announcement came shortly before the draw for the Olympics tennis tournament. Play begins Saturday on clay courts at Roland Garros, home to the French Open.
"The Olympics has been incredibly special to me. I'm really happy I get to do this one more time," Murray said on stage shortly after Thursday's draw. "I'm getting a bit older now so it gets harder to recover from injuries. I just ran out of time really [to play singles], but happy to be in the doubles with Dan and we play well together."
They will face Japan's Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori in the first round on the clay courts at Roland Garros.
3-time major winner Kerber retiring
Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber announced she will retire after the Paris Olympics.
The 36-year-old German player won majors at every tournament except for the French Open at Roland Garros — on the same clay courts where she will bid farewell to tennis after the Paris Games. She faces four-time major winner Naomi Osaka of Japan in the first round.
"Before the Olympics begin, l can already say that I will never forget Paris 2024, because it will be my last professional tournament as a tennis player," Kerber posted on Instagram. "And whereas this might actually be the right decision, it will never feel that way. Simply because I love the sport with all my heart and l'm thankful for the memories and opportunities it has given me."
Kerber later confirmed her retirement when speaking briefly on stage after the Olympic draw.
Kerber won the Australian Open and the U.S. Open in 2016 — the year she reached No. 1 in the rankings — and won Wimbledon two years later.
"Paris 2024 will mark the finish line of the most incredible journey I could have ever dreamed of growing up with a racket in my hand," Kerber added. "There are many more things I want to say and people to thank, which I will do once I completed my last match. But for now, I will take the time and soak up every second of this final episode on court."
With files from The Associated Press & Reuters
