MEN’S SINGLES MATCH NOTES Gold Medal Match

MEN’S SINGLES MATCH NOTES Gold Medal Match Sunday 1 August 2021 No. 4 Alexander Zverev (GER) v No. 12 Karen Khachanov (ROC) Bronze Medal Match Saturday 31 July 2021 No. 1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) v No. 6 Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) On court this weekend… • The men’s singles gold medal match today sees Germany’s Alexander Zverev up against ROC’s Karen Khachanov, after both players upset higher-ranked opponents in the semifinals on Friday. Zverev will be keen to continue the momentum from his stunning comeback victory over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic – should he record another win today, he will become the first German man to win singles gold at the Olympic Tennis Event. Steffi Graf is the only German tennis player, man or woman, to have won a singles gold medal at the Olympics. Khachanov, meanwhile, is aiming to become the first player from ROC to win the Olympic men’s singles gold medal since Yevgeny Kafelnikov at Sydney 2000 – coincidentally, Kafelnikov also faced a German man in the final, overcoming Tommy Haas to win the Olympic title. • In the bronze medal match, Novak Djokovic and Pablo Carreno Busta must brush off the disappointment of semifinal defeats if they are to secure medals for Serbia and Spain, respectively, on Saturday. Djokovic is contesting his 3rd bronze medal match in Olympic men’s singles – having won bronze at Beijing 2008 but finished 4th at London 2012 – and will play another bronze medal match later on Saturday, in mixed doubles alongside Nina Stojanovic. Carreno Busta is Spain’s last hope at a medal in tennis at Tokyo 2020, and he will hope to maintain his nation’s exemplary record at the Olympic Tennis Event. Spain have won at least one medal in tennis at every Olympic Games since Seoul 1988 except London 2012.