July 28, (THEWILL) – Fans of two top ranked male and female tennis players were ecstatic with Tuesday’s announcement that Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Australia’s Ashleigh Barty were listed to feature in the mixed doubles event at the Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan.
The list of the 16-team draw included the leading duo making their pairings Olympic contenders before any ball was served. Djokovic will play alongside Nina Stojanovic, who has won two doubles titles on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour.
On her own part, Barty will team up with John Peers, doubles specialist and two-time Olympian. It means the world number one can keep her dreams of an Olympic medal alive after her shock first round exit at the hands of Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo, who sent her out in straight sets 6-4 6-3.
It also opens an opportunity for Djokovic to win gold in the singles and mixed doubles events. As THEWILL reported, the Serbian still has the rare opportunity of a “Golden Slam” this year, targeting all four majors and Olympic gold in the same year, and is through to the third round in singles at the men’s event.
The first round of the mixed doubles will see him face Brazilian pair of Marcelo Melo and Luisa Stefano together with his partner Stojanovic. He will compliment her expertise in the doubles and they have the potential to reach a podium finish.
Barty and Peers are up against the Argentine duo of Nadia Podoroska and Horacio Zeballos in their first round of mixed doubles. The top ranked Australian is also playing in the women’s doubles, where she and Aussie Storm Sanders have reached the quarter-finals as the sixth seeds so far.
Other top tennis players on the mixed doubles draws are the Greeks Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari who are seeded second in the mixed doubles, while the Polish youngster Iga Swiatek will combine with Lukasz Kubot for the competition.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
