Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz remain on a collision course for the men’s singles final at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
But which of them might have the best shot at a career first Olympic gold medal?
Djokovic and Alcaraz are the top two seeds in Paris, and neither have dropped a set en route to the semifinals. One more win for each would see them set up a dream final at Roland Garros.
This is the fourth time Djokovic has reached this stage in singles at an Olympic Tennis Event, after also doing so at Tokyo 2020, where he was beaten by eventual gold medal winner Alexander Zverev.
Yet there will be no Tokyo rematch between the two, after Zverev was eliminated on Thursday by Lorenzo Musetti, who will now line up against Djokovic.
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Musetti has beaten Djokovic once – at the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters – but has lost their six other meetings, including their Wimbledon semifinal earlier this month.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, is on fire as the reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion, having won 19 of his past 20 matches.
He takes a 3-3 head-to-head record into his next match against surprise semifinalist Felix Auger-Aliassime, but has won the most recent three.
Speaking on The AO Show Weekly podcast, former Australian star Casey Dellacqua can see cases for both Djokovic and Alcaraz reigning supreme at Paris 2024.
"I just don't know if Novak has been tested, but what I've seen from probably the last two rounds... is when he's had to flick a switch, he's been able to do that,” Dellacqua said.
“But sometimes against the better players, you can't leave it to that. And over three sets of tennis, it's very different than when you play over five sets of tennis.
“On the other side, I think Alcaraz has had a lot of tennis, he's obviously (been) managing the doubles and singles schedule that he's had.
"From this quarterfinal stage on for this men's draw, I think it's really exciting.”
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Djokovic has beaten Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the semifinals, while Alcaraz reached the same stage after saving a set point to overcome Tommy Paul.
Simon Rea, former coach to Nick Kyrgios and Sam Stosur, could see another blockbuster meeting between the Serb and the Spaniard being set.
Should that eventuate, he admitted the result would be hard to call.
“I don't think it's a fait accompli, in terms of the Spaniard,” said Rea of Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in straight sets in the recent Wimbledon final. “I'm sure he'll enter as a warm favourite but I don't think that's a done deal, at least not in my mind.
"(Let’s not) underestimate the power of ... the determination of Novak to front up again at the Olympics Games.
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“Casey's mentioned what a unique environment the Olympics Games is as a professional athlete, as compared to every other event. I thought she put it really beautifully: it's so much bigger than yourself, the representation that goes on at the Olympics.
"Perhaps that's a combination of ingredients that's going to bring out the very best in Novak?
“I think he's going to be dangerous, I really do – I think the numbers are looking healthy.”